Deadly Love
by oopsiesgrl
Summary: Someone is out to kill Harry. They think it's Voldemort, but is it? As Harry battles this and his own love life, the stranger is lurking somewhere nearby... (Ch. 10 - Dobby's Visit, coming; Please Review! OotP was great! Can't believe -- died! :'( )
1. The Voice

Title: Deadly Love  
  
Written by: oopsiesgrl  
  
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance recommended (some swearing)  
  
Chapter One: The Voice  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Happy? But the plot is mine, as well as a few of the characters.  
  
Note: This fic takes place during Harry's fifth year, but is COMPLETELY different from Order of the Phoenix. I started before the book came out, and didn't have enough time to finish. Hope you still have the heart to read my version.  
  
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"Harry... Harry..." said a deep, hoarse voice. "Harry, come. I want you. I hate you! It was all your damn fault! I HATE YOU! Your life will be short. I'll make sure of it. I WANT YOU DEAD!!!"  
  
********  
  
"Ahhh!!!" shouted fifteen-year-old Harry Potter, waking up in a pool of cold sweat. His messy black hair was plastered against his face and his bright green eyes showed a look of fear.  
  
Harry looked around his room in his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house on #4 Privet Drive, in search of where that deathly voice came from. His room was very bare, since his aunt and uncle never really like him and didn't bother to furnish it very much. All he had was a bed, a table, and a closet filled with Uncle Vernon and his cousin Dudley's old clothes. In the room next door, the whale-sized Dudley had two television sets, three computers, video games that stacked up to the ceiling, and everything a fifteen-year-old could possibly imagine.  
  
Harry never understood why his aunt and uncle disliked him until four years ago, when a mysterious letter came to him saying he had been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yes, that's right. Harry is a wizard, as were his parents. That's why his imagination-is-bad-and-nothing- weird aunt and uncle hated him and his parents. Then why live with them? Because Harry is an orphan.  
  
Harry's parents, James and Lily Potter, died when Harry was only a year old. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had always told him they died in a car accident, trying to keep him from knowing what he was. Not until he was eleven did he know the truth. His parents were murdered by the most powerful Dark wizard that ever existed in wizard history. Voldemort was his name, but most people preferred calling him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not- Be-Named. Voldemort came to power over twenty years ago. Even the Muggles, non-wizarding people, sensed that something was wrong when he was around. At the height of his power fourteen years ago, Voldemort attempted to kill the Potters. He succeeded in killing Harry's parents, but lost his own soul and body when he tried to perform the same curse on one-year-old Harry. He left only a lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead. Lily Potter had left her love on her son as a protection. Voldemort could not touch him, so the curse rebounded on himself. However, this protection was lost a month ago, when Voldemort finally returned to power after years of trying.  
  
During Harry's fourth year, a Triwizard Tournament was held at Harry's school. It had not been held for centuries because of the building death rate. Last year, the Ministry of Magic finally succeeded in reopening the contest, and Hogwarts was hosting it. The tournament was supposed to be a contest between three students, one from each participating school- Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. Mysteriously, Harry's name came up as the fourth competitor although he was underage and he never signed up to compete. At the end of the year, he learned that it was all planned by Voldemort. Voldemort, with the help of Peter Pettigrew, a former friend of James and Lily who betrayed them to the Dark Lord, used this opportunity to get blood from Harry to bring himself back to life. Because he now had Harry's blood in him, there was no longer a barrier keeping him from touching Harry. All the Death Eaters who stayed loyal to him came back as soon as he did, and Voldemort is thought to be even more powerful than before.  
  
"Could it be Voldemort?" Harry asked himself, still wondering about that voice. He touched his scar. This time, it didn't hurt like it usually did when Voldemort was near or thought to be a potential danger to Harry. "It couldn't be Voldemort, could it?" said Harry, comforting himself. "If it was him, I would feel something, but I don't."  
  
Harry looked at the cage by the window where his snowy owl, Hedwig, was sleeping soundly inside. 'Should I write to Sirius?" wondered Harry. Sirius Black, Harry's godfather and his father's best friend, had told Harry to write to him or the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, if anything unusual happened. With Voldemort back in power, everybody was worried about him.  
  
"This doesn't count as anything unusual," said Harry to himself. "I don't want everybody to worry about nothing. I mean, my scar doesn't even hurt."  
  
Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were Harry's best friends, and would be the first to worry about him. The three of them met during Harry's first year at Hogwarts, and had been friends every since, staying together through thick and thin. The last thing Harry wanted was for them to get worried over nothing.  
  
He touched his scar again, making sure for a second time it really didn't hurt. Seeing that it didn't, Harry sighed in relief. 'It was probably just a bad dream,' he thought.  
  
He looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand. The digital letters on it showed that it was only 3:00 AM, but Harry couldn't go back to sleep. He thought about Cho Chang, the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts in Harry's opinion. He realized he was in love with Cho last year. He even tried to ask her to the dance last Christmas after days of building up courage, but didn't succeed. It turned out that Cedric Diggory, the handsome yet kind sixth-year that every girl wanted, had already asked her. But Cedric was killed by Voldemort at the end of last year, and Harry blamed it on himself. He didn't want to think about Cho anymore, because he thought Cho and Cedric really did like each other, but he couldn't help himself.  
  
With Cho's sweet face pictured in his mind, Harry drifted slowly off to sleep, no longer worried about the mysterious voice at all.  
  
********  
  
Outside, under the soft glow of the streetlights, a dark figure could be seen walking slowly away from the driveway of #4 Privet Drive. The dark cloak it wore trailed on the ground and a hood hid the figure's face. It was merely a looming shadow in the darkness.  
  
In a deep, danger voice, it muttered, "I want you dead, Harry Potter. I want you dead."  
  
********  
  
"Briiiiiing!" Harry's alarm clock rang. He mumbled sleepily and reached onto his nightstand to shut it off. He sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes. His glasses were on his nightstand too, and he put them on.  
  
Harry climbed out of bed and dressed. Although his parents left him a fortune in the wizarding world, he had nothing during the summer when he had to stay with his aunt and uncle. They, of course, hadn't given him an allowance in years. Even when they did give it to him, it was a dime each week. So, it was back into Dudley's old (and humongous, may I add) shirts and Uncle Vernon's worn, stinky socks.  
  
Harry yawned sleepily and looked out the window. He had a feeling some sound had come from there during the night, but he couldn't remember. All he remembered was the wonderful dream he had of Cho. They were dancing and Cho was saying how much she adored him. Harry smiled at the thought of the dream, and left his room. He walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Aunt Petunia was making pancakes and Uncle Vernon was reading the newspaper at the table. Dudley yelped in fright at the sight of Harry.  
  
"Good morning," Harry said in a fake, cheerful voice. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia ignored him as Dudley whimpered. He sat down at a small table in the corner of the kitchen. He had been forbidden to sit with the Dursleys.  
  
Harry knew the pancakes weren't for him, so he rose from his seat again and went to the refrigerator. He took two slices of bread and some milk. Aunt Petunia looked at him disapprovingly, thinking he shouldn't be eating anything at all while in her home. She brought a plate loaded with pancakes to Dudley and continued to give Harry the looks.  
  
Harry shook his head. This summer had been the worst one yet, for himself and the Dursleys. For one, they were ignoring him completely. Dumbledore had sent them a letter several weeks ago, explaining the situation with Voldemort. Ever since, they had hated Harry even more, but they were frightened out of their wits too. They didn't know very much about the Dark Lord, but the thought of him come to the house and killing the entire family was frightening. Second, Harry hadn't talked to Ron and Hermione all summer. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, had forbidden him to send and receive any mail unless it was important. It was a safety precaution the minister was taking just in case one of the letters landed in Voldemort's hands. What was worse was the fact that his friends didn't even know about this mail thing. Harry was afraid they would worry about him, or think that he didn't want to hear from them.  
  
Yesterday, July Thirty-First, had been Harry's fifteenth birthday. He received nothing at all. The presents from his friends hadn't come through, and the Dursleys didn't celebrate it of course. They had long forgotten he even had a birthday, not to mention when it was.  
  
"Get up, boy!" Uncle Vernon yelled suddenly at Harry, startling him. "Go to your room!"  
  
"But I'm not finished eating!" protested Harry.  
  
"Go!"  
  
Harry took his plate and glass to the sink, and left the kitchen. The Dursleys wanted him as far from their sight as possible. He was given fifteen minutes for meals, but he had to stay in his room at all other times.  
  
Harry walked back up to his room and shut the door. He couldn't wait for school to begin, but it was still a month away.  
  
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Please review!!! For more of my stories, go to my website (). Thanks for reading! 


	2. Onboard the Hogwarts Express

Title: Deadly Love  
  
Written by: oopsiesgrl  
  
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance recommended (some swearing)  
  
Chapter Two: Onboard the Hogwarts Express  
  
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It was finally September First again, and Harry pushed his cart through the crowds at King's Cross Station in London. Fudge himself had accompanied him to the station, afraid that something would happen to him on the way. They arrived in the Ministry cars, and Harry was still chuckling at the look on Uncle Vernon's face when he saw the cars showed up on Privet Drive. They were a hundreds times shinier and fancier than his precious company car.  
  
People stared at Harry as he passed them in the station, thinking he was very strange. Well, considering the circumstances, he did look pretty strange. He had with him an old-fashioned trunk and a cage from which Hedwig was hooting loudly. Around Muggles, that was a fairly unusual sight. They had probably never seen an owl at night, not to mention at a train station in the middle of the day. However, Harry didn't care. Hogwarts was only a train ride away, and his friends were even closer, at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, where the Hogwarts Express was waiting.  
  
Harry arrived at Platform Nine, and he pushed his cart casually toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Magically, the stone barrier disappeared and Harry walked through.  
  
As soon as he emerged on the other side, a bushy-haired someone encircled her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.  
  
"Hermione!" Harry called out in surprise.  
  
"Oh, Harry! I was so worried about you!" said Hermione through a stream of tears.  
  
"What happened, Harry?" asked Ron worriedly. He was right behind Hermione, holding about a dozen or so packages in his arms. "What happened this summer? We hadn't heard from you at all! My dad asked at the Ministry and everywhere, but nobody seemed to know. We were so worried about you!"  
  
"Oh, that," said Harry after hearing Ron's explanation. "Fudge wouldn't let me send or receive any mail unless they were 'important.' That's why you guys hadn't heard from me. It's part of this stupid new protection program Fudge has in mind. He's only doing it during the summer though, when I'm away from Hogwarts."  
  
"Why didn't they tell anybody about the plan?" asked Ron angrily.  
  
"Fudge wanted to keep it a secret. I didn't even receive my Hogwarts letter. He wouldn't let me go to Diagon Alley to buy my stuff either. Fudge got some wizard to dress up as a Muggle mailman and bring my spell books to me the Muggle way. He even sent me here personally."  
  
"Damn that old man!"  
  
"Ron, don't say that about the Minister!" scolded Hermione. She was much calmer now since nothing had happened to Harry during the summer. "Harry, I'm so glad you're okay," she said, turning to Harry. "With all these things about Voldemort...we were afraid that you were..." She started crying again. Harry's friends and Harry himself were some of the few who dared to say the Dark Lord's real name out loud.  
  
"Hey, Hermione, calm down!" said Ron. He indicated to the dozen packages in his arms and said to Harry, "Look at all these presents! We tried to send them to you for your birthday, but the owls just brought them back to us. Happy birthday, Harry."  
  
"Thank you," Harry took over the load from Ron, very happy that he was back with his best friends.  
  
"Oh! And be careful of that one," warned Ron, pointing to a weirdly shaped package. "It's from Fred and George, and you know how they are."  
  
Harry laughed. He knew exactly how Fred and George, Ron's older twin brothers, were. Mrs. Weasley often worried about letters sent from Hogwarts that scolded them about their jokes and tricks. They are even serious about opening their own joke shop once they graduate. At Hogwarts, the Weasley twins are second in trickeries to Harry's own father and his friends - Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew - together known as the Marauders. Because Remus is a werewolf, the other three became Animagi, or people able to transform into animals. Therefore, they were given their nicknames - Prongs for James, who transformed into a stag; Padfoot for Sirius, a dog; Moony for Remus, a werewolf; and Wormtail for Peter, a rat. James and his friends even created a Marauder's Map, which showed all the secret passageways of Hogwarts and much more. The map had somehow landed into Fred and George's hands, but they gave it to Harry to help him sneak out of Hogwarts during his third year. Harry found out who it was really created by later that year.  
  
Just then, Colin Creevey yelled excitedly, jumping up and down, "Hey, there's Harry! Hey, Harry!" Those words rang through the platform, and everyone turned their heads toward Ron, Harry, and Hermione.  
  
"Harry Potter?" they whispered to one another. "He's still alive?" Naturally, with all the gossiping in the wizarding world, everybody knew that nobody had heard from Harry all summer.  
  
"I heard something happened to him during the summer."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"I thought he was dead!"  
  
"Hey, Harry!" shouted Seamus Finnigan, another Gryffindor in Harry's year, over the noise. He made his way through the crowd that had formed around the three. "I'm glad you're okay," he said, and slapped Harry on his shoulder.  
  
Colin Creevey and several other major fans of Harry were jumping around him, gibbering away with enthusiasm. Fred and George were singing "Happy Birthday" to him loudly and out of tune. There were so many people around Harry he didn't notice that Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, wasn't among them She was standing alone by the wall, watching Harry with misty eyes.  
  
"Okay! Okay! Let Harry get on the train!" yelled Ron loudly over the crowd. The crowd parted to let them pass. With a friend on either side, Harry made his way into the compartment Ron and Hermione had saved for them.  
  
As soon as they stepped inside, a voice from behind said sarcastically, "Potter, I see you're not dead yet." It was Draco Malfoy with his two troll- looking friends, Crabbe and Goyle, behind him. The Malfoys were very prominent people in the wizarding world. Their family was a long line of wizards and witches, and with wealth added onto that, they were beyond a regular family's power. Many secretly knew that Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, is a Death Eater. But with no hard evidence against him, many were too afraid to attempt to bring him down. Draco and Harry had been archrivals since their first year at Hogwarts, because Harry had refused to join his gang of Slytherins.  
  
There are four houses at Hogwarts, each named after the four founders- Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. Gryffindor was for the braves, Ravenclaw for the clever, Hufflepuff for the kind, and Slytherin for the power hungry. The first years are sorted into different houses on the first day at Hogwarts by an old wizard's hat. Harry, Hermione, and the entire Weasley family were in Gryffindor House. The Malfoy family all came from Slytherin. Slytherin was known to have turned out the most Dark witches and wizards. Lord Voldemort himself was a Slytherin.  
  
"What happened during the summer, Potter?" continued Malfoy. "Too scared to come out of the house because of You-Know-Who?"  
  
"Shut up, Malfoy!" yelled Ron angrily.  
  
"What now, Weasel? Did your family finally make more money this summer? I heard you got even poor-"  
  
He had just hit on what ticked Ron off the most-his family's lack of money. With seven children and four still needing support, the Weasleys weren't very well off. Before Malfoy could finish his sentence, Harry and Ron had both shoved him roughly out the door, with Ron adding a few extra punches. Hermione was shouting very angry words at him. Crabbe and Goyle, being the stupid people they were, were too startled to do anything, so the three of them left. Malfoy muttered angrily under his breath.  
  
Harry slammed the compartment door shut, and the tree sat down. Ron was still sulking.  
  
"Don't worry about it Ron," comforted Hermione. "Malfoy is a jerk."  
  
"It's - it's not only that," said Ron, looking up at Harry. "On Muggle news, have you-"  
  
"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "It's Harry's first day back. We shouldn't talk about that!"  
  
"But..."  
  
"What is it, Ron?" Harry asked. "I don't want anybody to keep anything from me."  
  
"It's... You-Know-Who," answered Ron slowly. "He - he has been creating hell in the Muggle world. Have you heard about that?"  
  
"No. The Ministry must have erased the Muggles' memories."  
  
"The Ministry is going crazy over this. Dad has been pulled from his regular job to track down possible sites You-Know-Who might attack," continued Ron. Mr. Weasley worked at the Ministry of Magic. "Fudge is nuts! He really is going to go separate ways from Dumbledore. How can he do that? Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard around! How is Fudge going to do anything without Dumbledore's help? All the people are divided into two groups now because of them. Dad is thinking about quitting his job at the Ministry and going to Dumbledore. He has already argued with Fudge and several others hundreds of times. The things they are doing to supposedly keep people safe are so stupid. Personally, I think Dad should leave. But Percy! He said he will 'remain loyal to the Minister'," said Ron angrily as he imitated the bossy voice of his older brother, who also worked at the Ministry. "It's all Percy's damn fault! There's not been a quiet day in the house because he keeps arguing with Dad!"  
  
The three sat in silence after Ron's angry and frustrated outburst. They reflected on how their worlds were falling apart. Each pondered about the own problems as the train traveled through the winding tracks of the mountains. Finally, it was Hermione who broke the silence.  
  
"Harry, have you heard about our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" she asked in as bright a tone as possible, trying to drive away from the unhappiness.  
  
"Did Snape finally get the job?" Harry asked jokingly. Everyone at Hogwarts knew that Professor Snape had always wanted that position, but has never succeeded in getting it. Also, this position seemed to be cursed, which made it especially interesting. No teacher had stayed for more than a year since Harry arrived at Hogwarts. During Harry's first year, wimpy Professor Quirrell was revealed to be the weakened Voldemort's accomplice, and he was left to die by the Dark Lord. Professor Lockhart was hired the next year, but he turned out to be a fake who knew nothing about the subject. For Harry's third year, a good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher finally came. Professor Remus Lupin came and taught them some very valuable things. Unfortunately, when the news of him being a werewolf leaked out, many parents demanded for him to leave. Last year, Professor Moody, who used to be an Auror, a wizard who tracks down Dark wizards and witches, always made the class exciting. However, he turned out not to be the real Moody, and was, in fact, another of Voldemort's servants. He helped Voldemort get to Harry to bring him back to life. Cornelius Fudge had a Dementor, a creature who destroyed all happiness, suck out his soul before Dumbledore could question him further. That, and many other reasons, caused the two of them to fight Voldemort's second rise to power in separate ways.  
  
"No, he lost the chance again," said Hermione, laughing.  
  
"So who is it this time?" asked Harry.  
  
"It's a Professor Fitz," said Hermione. "She's a woman!"  
  
"Fitz? I've never heard of her."  
  
"That's because she's been traveling the world! I read that in 'The Daily Prophet'. I think she'll be great. It's about time we had a female Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. It's not like women can't fight the Dark Arts."  
  
"Whatever, Hermione," said Ron, joining the conversation. "We'll see who's actually good when we get there. I think she's probably a fake like Lockhart."  
  
Hermione turned bright red. Although Lockhart was a bad wizard, he had the looks that could make any female drown. All the girls were crazy over him, and Hermione was one of them.  
  
Harry laughed with his friends. All three of them forgot about their problems and worries as they joked and ate the interesting sweets sold on the train. Harry couldn't help noticing that although Hermione and Ron argued a little, they were sitting awfully close together.  
  
After several hours, Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station. This year, it wasn't Rubeus Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures professor and Harry's friend, who was taking the first years to the main castle. Hagrid was a half giant, so he and Madame Maxime, another half giant and the Headmistress of Beauxbatons, were asked by Dumbledore to bring the exiled giants to their side before Voldemort recruited them. Tonight, Argus Filch, the bitter caretaker of Hogwarts, took over the task that was usually assigned to Hagrid.  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione, seeing the sour look of Filch instead of Hagrid's welcoming smile, began to feel that Hogwarts was not to remain the same either. They thought Hogwarts, at least, would not be affected by Voldemort's rise to power, but obviously, it was. The three made their way silently to the horseless carriages. There was not much to talk around them either, as other students noticed the change. Only the Slytherins seemed to be happy.  
  
"I'm glad that big oaf isn't around tonight," Harry, Ron, and Hermione heard Malfoy say, and they shot him a dirty look.  
  
As soon as all the students were inside a carriage, all fifty carriages began gliding smoothly toward the castle. Every student knew what the others were thinking as they made the peaceful ride. What is Hogwarts going to be like this year?  
  
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Note: I had the ideas of the Percy / Mr. Weasley fight and Hagrid's absence before reading Order of the Phoenix. 


	3. A Deadly Ride

Title: Deadly Love  
  
Written by: oopsiesgrl  
  
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance recommended (some swearing)  
  
Chapter Three: A Deadly Ride  
  
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Harry, Ron, and Hermione occupied one of the carriages in the back. With so many troubles around them, the three were silent. As the carriage glided peacefully towards the castle, Harry looked out the window.  
  
Under the starry night, nothing seemed to be wrong. The tall trees lining the narrow road swayed gently in the breeze. A river was trickling somewhere nearby. Several birds were singing in their special tunes. A cricket chirped loudly into the night. The different sounds came together into a harmonious concerto.  
  
Suddenly the calmness was put to an end. The carriage the three rode in swerved sharply to the right.  
  
"Ahh!" Hermione screamed.  
  
"What's going on?" Ron yelled.  
  
"How do we stop this damn thing?" Harry called out urgently.  
  
The carriage was completely out of control. It had driven off the edge of the road and was rolling violently down the hill. It crashed into tree after tree, but the trees did not stop it from moving. Harry could see now where the trickling of the river came from. The river was several meters below them, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were heading straight toward it. The carriage was moving faster by the second.  
  
"Hermione! Don't you know a spell or something?" yelled Ron.  
  
"I don't know! I don't know!" Hermione cried. "Oh wait! Harry, the door! Try the door!"  
  
"The door!" Harry tried the handle and pushed hard against the carriage door, but it did not budge.  
  
"Try again!" Ron said.  
  
Harry tried harder this time, but the door stayed put. He tried several more times. His efforts were of no use.  
  
"What do we do now?" he yelled urgently.  
  
"I don't know!" cried Hermione.  
  
Harry thought for a moment and then took out his wand. "Alohomora!" he yelled, but the spell didn't work. They were now only three meters from the river.  
  
"Damn it!" yelled Ron angrily. He balled up his fist, and with all his strength, hit the glass window. The glass shatter, but the hole wasn't big enough. Ron made the move to hit again.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione cried. "What are you doing?"  
  
"This is our only way out!"  
  
Before Ron hit the glass again, Harry striked with his own hands.  
  
"Harry!" Ron and Hermione both yelled. They tried to hold his arms down, but he broke away from their grip and beat the window continuously. Soon, the window was almost completely shattered. Harry pushed at it one last time with his bloody hands. With the window gone, they could escape.  
  
"Hermione, you first!" Harry yelled.  
  
"But! What about you guys?"  
  
"Just go! We're coming right behind you!"  
  
Hermione hesitated a moment, and then scrambled out. She fell down roughly on the other side.  
  
"Ron, you next!"  
  
"Harry, no! You first!"  
  
"We don't have time! Just go!"  
  
"Harry -"  
  
"Go, damn it!"  
  
Ron looked at his best friend, and then climbed quickly out the window. As soon as he was out of the carriage, he heard a loud splash. The carriage had driven into the river.  
  
"Harry!" Hermione came slipping and sliding down the muddy bank.  
  
"Harry!" Ron called, getting to his feet. "Harry!"  
  
********  
  
The carriage had finally stopped, but it was already completely under water. Harry could hear the muted voices of his friends. He tried to call back, but as soon as he opened his mouth, water streamed down his throat. He could hardly see anything around him. It was all blurry, and his eyes stung from the water. Harry could feel his glasses sliding off. He adjusted them, and groped for the window. His hands stung like hell, but that was far from his mind right then.  
  
"Air... air..." Harry thought desperately.  
  
His hands felt the edges of the window, and he pulled himself out. He could feel a piece of glass cut into his back. Harry felt the immense pain, but didn't care. Finally, he was completely out of the carriage. He kicked hard against the side of the carriage and swam toward the surface. The river wasn't very deep and the currents not strong, but it took all of Harry's strength to make his way out. Feeling the river get shallower, he waded the rest of the way towards the bank. As soon as he made it, he crumpled down and fainted.  
  
********  
  
Half an hour later, Harry opened his eyes slightly. Someone had removed his glasses. Everything was blurry, but Harry could make out several beds and the tall ceiling above him. His own bed was very comfortable and the covers soft. He knew he was in the infirmary at Hogwarts. Around his bed, six pairs of eyes were looking at him with concern. The twinkling blue ones that currently showed a mix of worry and anger belonged to Professor Dumbledore. Beside him, Professor McGonagall's usually strict eyes were filled with tears. Harry didn't know the woman next to McGonagall. She seemed to be in her mid-thirties and had bright hazel eyes with long, straight blonde hair. At the end of the bed stood Madame Pomfrey, the school nurse, her gray hair askew and her robe wrinkled. On Harry's other side were Hermione and Ron in their pajamas. Tears were streaming down Hermione's face and Ron's eyes were filled with worry.  
  
Harry reached for his glasses, but his hands were heavily bandages and his fingers could not move. He groaned quietly, feeling the stinging pain all over his body, especially his hands.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione whispered softly. "Harry? Are you alright?"  
  
His hands hurt so badly he could hardly feel them. Also, a searing pain went down his back.  
  
"What happened?" asked Harry through clenched teeth.  
  
"The carriage..." started Ron.  
  
Suddenly, everything came flooding back - turning off the road, crashing down the hill, breaking the window, and splashing into the river.  
  
"Hello, Harry," the stranger said kindly. "I'm Professor Fitz. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Nice to meet you, professor. I'm okay. My hands... How did I get here?" Harry felt stupid asking this, but he wanted to know.  
  
"Several students heard your screaming," explained Dumbledore. "As soon as they arrived at the castle, they ran to us and told us something had happened to the three of you."  
  
"And we hurried over immediately," continued Professor Fitz. "You had just fainted when we came. You should have seen Ron and Hermione. They were worried to death about you!"  
  
Harry gave all of them a grateful look and said, "Thank you."  
  
"Harry," McGonagall asked, "do you need anything?"  
  
"No, thank you, professor."  
  
"Would... would you feel safer with someone protecting you?"  
  
"Professor!" Harry sat up suddenly, ignoring his pain. "I don't... Someone protecting me? I don't... I don't need anyone!"  
  
"Calm down, Harry," assured McGonagall. "It's for your own safety."  
  
"No!" argued Harry. "I don't need it. I can take care of myself. Having someone watching me all the time will make me feel worse about everything."  
  
"But, Harry, after what happened today -"  
  
"Minerva," Dumbledore said to her, "if Harry doesn't think he needs any extra protection, don't pressure him. He has enough to worry about."  
  
"Albus, a Death Eater or some other lunatic made it so near Hogwarts today. We should be more cautious when it concerns Harry. After all, You-Know-Who -"  
  
"Professor McGonagall," Fitz said to her colleague, "I believe Harry is able to handle things by himself. Besides, he already has the protection of all the teachers and his friends."  
  
McGonagall hesitated for a while, but agreed, "Oh, alright."  
  
Harry smiled gratefully at Professor Fitz and Dumbledore. He relaxed and lied back down. Having a "bodyguard" is something he really didn't want. How would he lead a normal life with someone following him all the time?  
  
"Now, the children need their rest," said Madame Pomfrey to the professors. "They've already been through enough today." She shooed the teachers away.  
  
"All three of you showed great bravery today," Dumbledore turned back and said to Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. He winked at them, and left the room. When they were all out the door, Madame Pomfrey came back to her patients.  
  
"How are you feeling, Harry?" she asked.  
  
"A little better. My hands and back still hurt."  
  
"I've already put some healing potion on your cuts. They were quite deep. But you should have your hands back to normal in a day or two. They will hurt some at first though. How is your hand, Ron?"  
  
"It's better."  
  
"Good." Now, get to rest. You've all been through so much today." She made sure Ron and Hermione were in bed. Then, she turned off the lights and left the room.  
  
In the dark, Hermione said, "Thank you, both of you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"If it wasn't for you guys, we would have..."  
  
After a minute of silence, Harry asked, "What happened to the feast and the first years' sorting?"  
  
"I heard the feast was cancelled for tonight," answered Hermione. "They might make it tomorrow night if nothing else happens. All the students were sent to bed directly. The first years were sorted, but they didn't get a ceremony."  
  
"Yeah. And I think the teachers are patrolling the hallways tonight," said Ron.  
  
"This feels just like two years ago. Remember when Sirius escaped from Azkaban and was thought to be after me?" reflected Harry. During Harry's third year, Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, escaped from the wizard prison and was after someone at Hogwarts, but not Harry. He was put in prison in the first place because of a mistake. However, the air was tense at Hogwarts among the students and teachers, and the same condition was coming back this year.  
  
The three were silent for a while. Then, Harry said quietly, "I wonder who cursed our carriage." He barely moved his lips when saying this, but Ron and Hermione heard him clearly, and were thinking the exact same thing. 


	4. The Good and the Bad

Title: Deadly Love  
  
Written by: oopsiesgrl  
  
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance recommended (some swearing)  
  
Chapter Four: The Good and the Bad  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
The next morning, Harry, Ron, and Hermione woke early.  
  
"Good morning," said Hermione.  
  
"G'mowin'," answered Ron sleepily.  
  
"How are you feeling, Harry?" asked Hermione with concern.  
  
"My hands still hurt. How is yours, Ron?"  
  
"Better. It didn't get very messed up."  
  
"Do you guys think classes will start today?" asked Hermione, always concerned with school.  
  
"I don't know," answered Harry.  
  
"Hopefully not," said Ron. "I'm not ready to face McGonagall and Snape in the classroom again."  
  
Just then, Madame Pomfrey came bustling in with three trays.  
  
"Good morning. How are you three feeling?"  
  
"Better. Thank you."  
  
"Well, here is your breakfast," she handed each of them a tray, "and your schedules for this year. Classes have been cancelled for today, so you three can stay in here and rest. How are your hands?" She changed Harry and Ron's bandages and applied more of the stinging potion. "Your hands will be fine by tomorrow morning."  
  
"Will there be a feast tonight?" Ron asked hopefully.  
  
"Yes," answered Madame Pomfrey. "But -"  
  
"May we go? Please?"  
  
"I will have to ask Professor Dumbledore."  
  
"We will feel fine by tonight," pleaded Harry, who also wanted to get out of bed.  
  
"We'll see. Okay. I'll be in my office next door if you need anything." Madame Pomfrey left the room, closing the door behind her.  
  
"Oh, man!" said Ron, picking up his schedule.  
  
"What?" asked Hermione.  
  
"We have three classes with the Slytherins. Tomorrow!"  
  
"Aw! And one of the is double Potions," said Harry dismally, looking at his own schedule. "Snape will probably find some way to favor them again."  
  
"Wow, that should be a very fun day," said Hermione with not very much enthusiasm. She would have enjoyed Potions if it weren't for Professor Snape and the Slytherins.  
  
Snape is the Head of Slytherin House, and he hated Harry. He went to school with Harry's parents. James Potter made his blood boil with jealously. It was always James this and James that. Snape was downright sick of him, which him just as sick about Harry.  
  
During Voldemort's first rise to power, Snape was a Death Eater. For some reason, he supposedly came back to their side with Dumbledore's trust before Voldemort's downfall. According to Dumbledore, he even helped bring down other Death Eaters. He was also asked by Dumbledore to aid in fighting Voldemort's rise this time. Doing what, nobody knew.  
  
For the past four years that Harry had taken Potions, Snape had always favored the Slytherins. He took any chance he had to take points off Gryffindor for the House Cup. He especially made Harry and his friends suffer.  
  
********  
  
In the Gryffindor common room that morning, as in the other three common rooms, there was much discussion about what happened last night. Every couch and chair was taken, and some even sat on the floor. Everybody listened attentively to the Weasley twins, who had attempted to sneak into the infirmary.  
  
"Why didn't you guys get in again?" asked Dean Thomas, who was in Harry's year.  
  
"I told you!" said Fred impatiently. "There were a whole bunch of teachers patrolling the entire hallway. We couldn't get anywhere near the infirmary!"  
  
"And we asked McGonagall if we could see them," said George, "but she turned all serious and told us off."  
  
"I wonder what happened to them," said Lavender Brown dramatically.  
  
"Does anybody know what really happened?" asked Ginny worriedly.  
  
"I heard them screaming," said Neville Longbottom, a clumsy boy in Harry's year, nervously. "I was in the carriage in front of them."  
  
"Me too," said Dean. "It was me, Neville, and Seamus."  
  
"We could hear them screaming," continued Seamus, "but when we turned around to look, the carriage had disappeared."  
  
"What do you think happened after they disappeared?" asked Ginny, who was near tears.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Why won't the teachers tell us a damn thing?" said George angrily, banging his fist on the table.  
  
"Didn't Professor Trelawney predict something about Harry getting in another accident? I knew she would be right," said Lavender, who was in Harry and Ron's Divination class and, along with Parvati Patil, adored the teacher. Ginny looked at her angrily. "What? I'm just saying what I think is right," she replied to the look haughtily.  
  
Then, a second year caused angry uproar in the common room, "Could it have been.You-Know-Who?" All eyes turned on him dangerously and several told him to shut up. For the entire discussion, everyone had tried to ignore that possibility, but he finally brought it up. The second year turned bright red and shied away.  
  
Colin Creevey, too worried about his idol to take the hint just given, said in a shaking voice, "C-could one of th - them have...died?"  
  
Ginny sprang from her seat. She ran up the dorm stairs, covering her face with her hands. Tears were streaming down her face and her body was shaking. The entire common room grew dead silent.  
  
********  
  
That night, Dumbledore gave permission for Harry and his friends to go to the feast. They changed out of their pajamas thankfully. Playing wizard's chess all afternoon with Ron winning every game wasn't very much fun. Harry and Ron's cuts felt much better too. Madame Pomfrey had lightened up on Harry's bandages, so he could move his fingers a little now. Their happiness was soon dampened when they opened the infirmary door and saw Professor Snape waiting in the hallway.  
  
"I'm supposed to walk you to the Great Hall," he said simply, with no trace of sarcasm in his voice. He motioned with his hands for them to pass. The three of them walked nervously out the door, expecting Snape to say something ugly, but he didn't. All he did was follow them, all the way to the Great Hall, without a single word. Harry was deeply confused. This didn't seem like the hateful Professor Snape.  
  
His thoughts were driven away from Snape as soon as they entered the Great Hall. First, light chatter in the room turned into dead silence when the students saw who had just come in the door. Soon, the dead silence became loud clamor as every student began talking about them. The enchanted ceiling charmed to look like the sky outside was black with clouds, making the entrance seem even more dramatic.  
  
"Silence!" Dumbledore's voice boomed over the noise. The students immediately grew silent. "Harry, Hermione, Ron, please come in and be seated." They walked quietly to several empty seats near their friends at the Gryffindor table. "Thank you, Severus, for bringing them here," Dumbledore continued. Professor Snape nodded and took his seat the teachers' table. Then, Dumbledore turned to all the students and made his welcoming speech.  
  
"Welcome, everyone, to a new year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I hope your minds have been emptied during the summer for new information to be soaked up this year. I promise you, there will be plenty to learn!  
  
"Before the feast begins, I have a few announcements. First of all, competitions for the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup are still on. Quidditch games will begin in November. As usual, points for the House Cup will accumulate and be taken away depending on your behavior and performance in the classroom.  
  
"Also, we have a new member to the Hogwarts faculty this year." Dumbledore motioned for Professor Fitz to stand. Many of the male students' jaws dropped at her mesmerizing beauty. Her long, blonde hair sparkled in the candlelight and a pair of hazel eyes shone from a sweet face. But it was the smile that caught everybody's attention. Even Ron couldn't keep his eyes off her, and Hermione was looking at him angrily. If Cho hadn't been so perfect in Harry's mind, he would have been amazed by Professor Fitz too.  
  
Dumbledore continued, "Professor Fitz will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Moody will not take the position this year. He is still not feeling up to it after what happened last year. However, I'm sure Professor Fitz will be a wonderful addition. She has had a lot of experience after spending years in Transylvania, Egypt, the Middle East, and other places around the world. And after all, she received the best training. Professor Fitz graduated from Hogwarts herself 17 years ago.  
  
"Everybody in here probably already expect something to be different this year, and it will be. I am sorry to say that a few of our teachers will not be here for part of the year." Harry looked at Hagrid's empty seat. "For those classes, you will have substitutes. Classes will continue, and so will most of our other programs, no matter what happens.  
  
"With the current circumstances, we must take precautions. Therefore, there will be changes to our school policies. Every mail you wish to send has to be reviewed by one of the teachers or myself first. Mails that you receive have to be reviewed by us first. Your owls will stop by a teacher's office before coming to you. If your mail contains information that is inappropriate in some way, it will not be given to you. You will receive a notice that you have received mail, but the contents will not be revealed. Information that is important will be told to you, but otherwise, the entire message will be destroyed. This year, the owelry will be locked. The only way you may enter is with a teacher's Permission Card. Do not attempt to enter by flying through the owelry windows, because they have been charmed. You will not make it through." Dumbledore's eyes seemed to be looking straight at Fred and George when saying this. "I am sorry disturbing your privacy, but with the current circumstances, it is necessary.  
  
"Also, all students have to be in their common rooms within an hour after dinner is over. Everybody has to be in bed by ten o'clock on Sundays to Thursdays. On Fridays, Saturdays, and during vacations, everybody has to be in bed by eleven. If you are found outside your common rooms after those times, harsh punishment will be given. Weekend trips to Hogsmeade will also be limited. You will travel in groups with a teacher at all times." Hundreds of students groaned disappointedly. Bed times were bad enough, but limited trips to Hogsmeade and being followed around by a teacher made it even worse. Hogsmeade, the only all-wizard village in England, was the only way to get away from the teachers. Harry saw Fred and George whispering something to each other, probably already planning how to sneak away. They quieted when Dumbledore began speaking of the carriage incident.  
  
"You may all have heard some rumor about the so-called 'runaway carriage'. I feel you all are mature enough to handle certain information, so I will relieve you from your suspicions and wild imagination.  
  
"During the trip from Hogsmeade Station to Hogwarts, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger's carriage drove off the road. According to several students, they simply disappeared, but their screaming could be heard. The carriage has been thoroughly checked. An Invisibility Charm was used on it, but there were no signs of tampering with the carriage's route. This indicates the person or persons wishing to bring harm to the students were at the scene. We are not yet certain who they are. It may be involved with Voldemort," - several students cringed at the name - "or it may not. It is certainly a relief that the students were not greatly injured. Their bravery saved their lives.  
  
"This is all I am going to say. I won't keep you from eating anymore. Thank you all for your patience. Now let the fest begin!"  
  
The students were quiet for a while as the food magically appeared on the five tables. Several Gryffindors, and Cho, smiled supportively at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ginny had tears in her eyes as her gaze landed on Harry. Harry smiled back at her assuringly. His eyes, however, were on Cho, who was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with her friends. When their eyes met, Harry felt a surge of warmth go through his body.  
  
Ginny noticed Harry looking somewhere behind her, and she turned around. Her heart ached when she saw it was Cho. For a long time, she had longed to be the girl Harry looked at with those eyes. But for a long time, she wasn't. Ginny worried if she ever will be.  
  
Around them, everybody suddenly burst into talk. But the subject of the carriage incident was ignored. Instead, students from the other three houses began speaking angrily about the Slytherins and the Death Eater parents. "That's the only reason they're putting limits on our mail," Dean Thomas was saying. "They're afraid the Slytherins will leak information to the bloody parents!" The Slytherins were openly criticizing Dumbledore and the other professors.  
  
However, Harry wasn't paying much attention to the talk around him as he ate. He was looking curiously up at the teacher's table. 


	5. The Strange Behavior of Professor Snape

Title: Deadly Love  
  
Written by: oopsiesgrl  
  
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance recommended (some swearing)  
  
Chapter Five: The Strange Behavior of Professor Snape  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
At the teacher's table in the front of the hall, Professor Snape was not wearing his usual strict expression. Instead, he had a dazed look. During the entire meal, he did not talk very much to anyone. He sat very still, but now and then, his hands shook.  
  
'That's strange,' thought Harry. 'Is it because of Voldemort's return to power? Is the task he has to perform for Dumbledore too much?'  
  
"What are you thinking about, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking at his puzzled expression with concern.  
  
"Huh? Oh, nothing." He smiled to assure Hermione nothing was wrong. When she turned to talk to Ron again, Harry looked up at the High Table again. Snape still had the strange look on his face.  
  
*********  
  
The next day, Harry and Ron spent a long, miserable morning in Divination. Professor Trelawney was again predicting Harry's death and other unfortunate happening. The burning fireplace and the strangely perfumed tower room made Harry sleepy, but the professor was currently reading his palm and watching him, so he couldn't doze off. He could do nothing but listen to her while Lavender Born and Parvati Patil gasped dramatically.  
  
"You have a short life, Harry," Professor Trelawney was saying. "Look at this line. It ends before reaching the end of your palm." She looked into Harry's eyes. He couldn't help noticing how much like an insect she looked with her skinny figure and large glasses. Suddenly, Professor Trelawney gasped loudly and backed away quickly, scaring Harry out of his stupor.  
  
"What did you see, Professor?" Lavender asked excitedly.  
  
"His eyes!"  
  
"There's nothing wrong with my eyes!" Harry said with annoyance.  
  
"Yes, there is! I saw in your eyes that...that...your life will end this year!"  
  
"When this year, Professor?" asked Parvati.  
  
"Halloween!" Professor Trelawney exclaimed. Her eyes turned misty and she looked at Harry sadly. Lavender and Parvati did the same.  
  
Ron muttered under his breath, "A bunch of rubbish! Typical! Everything bad happens on Halloween."  
  
"Now," Professor Trelawney wiped the corners of her eyes and sniffled, "for the rest of the class, you will try palm readings and eye searches. Remember, palms and eyes can tell great stories. Don't just look at the surface. Look deep.deep into them." She broke down and disappeared into her office.  
  
For the next forty minutes, Harry and Ron pretended to predict all sorts of catastrophes in each other's lives.  
  
"Oh, Harry!" Ron mimicked Professor Trelawney's high voice. "You will fall down the stairs and break your arm!"  
  
"And Ron, you'll break you leg tripping over a cauldron!"  
  
"Harry," said Parvati sternly, "your life is going to end on Halloween. This isn't a joking matter!"  
  
Ron rolled his eyes and said, "So will yours, Parvati. So will yours."  
  
Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, and the rest of the class doubled over laughing. The truth was, nobody really took Professor Trelawney seriously except Lavender and Parvati. Making death predictions was her specialty, and she did it several times every day. However, she did make one true prediction once, which was about Peter Pettigrew returning to his Master.  
  
When the bell finally rang, Harry and Ron were the first out the room. By the Great Hall, they met Hermione coming from her Arithmancy class, and together they went in for lunch. Inside, the Hufflepuff fifth-years were already seated and talking excitedly.  
  
"What are you guys so happy about?" Ron asked.  
  
Hannah Abbott turned around and said, "Professor Fitz is great! We just came from her class."  
  
"She's talented and beautiful!" said Ernie MacMillan.  
  
Ron looked longingly towards the High Table. "We have her today, right?"  
  
Hermione slapped him on the head.  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
"Eat!" she snapped, and shoved the food roughly towards him. Harry laughed and dug into his own plate.  
  
~  
  
After lunch, Ron and Hermione were talking again. The three made the dreaded way down to the dungeons where they were to have double Potions. However, they needn't have worried at all. Professor Snape's strange behavior continued. Today, his should-length black hair was not greased like it usually was, and was held up in a low ponytail. His face was pasty white and seemed expressionless. Harry had a feeling Snape barely even noticed the students' presence.  
  
"Good morning, class," Snape said in a soft, distant voice. "This year, our lessons will be more advanced. The potions we brew will be more dangerous, and greater care has to be given the ingredients. Today, we will begin with the Veritaserum, the Truth Potion. A set of directions have been placed at each table. You may work with a partner. If you have nay question, ask me. At the end of the class, I will check each potion for effectiveness. If your potion works, fill it in these bottles. You may begin."  
  
The students worked in silence. Neville Longbottom asked Hermione to help him and Harry partnered with Ron. They were all stunned by Snape's "nice- ness". From Harry's position in the room, he could see Malfoy's face clearly. He was staring at Snape with disbelief and frustration. Professor Snape had always been his favorite teacher, but now, Snape was not living up to his expectations. Harry smiled at Malfoy's strange expression. He turned to look at Snape too. The professor's eyes were closed and he was sighing deeply.  
  
At the end of the class, Hermione and Neville was the only group with an effective Veritaserum. Although most Gryffindors had failed at making the potion, Snape did not punish them the way he usually would. He didn't take any points off their house and he didn't assign any detentions.  
  
When the bell rang, the class filed into the hallway. Once out of the classroom, everybody burst into talk. The Slytherins were angry with Snape and Gryffindors were confused about his behavior.  
  
Ron asked the question Harry had been thinking, "What's wrong with Snape?"  
  
"I don't know," sighed Harry.  
  
"Maybe he's sick," Hermione attempted to explain.  
  
"Maybe," said Harry, "but I have a feeling it's not as simple as that.  
  
"Why is that?" asked Hermione.  
  
"It just doesn't seem like him. He never acted this way when he was sick before. He grew ever more bitter when he was sick."  
  
"That's true," said Ron.  
  
"Did you two notice the way he was acting last night? When he walked us to the Great Hall and during the feast?"  
  
"Yeah," said Hermione. "I've never seen him like that before."  
  
Harry noticed Malfoy listening to their conversation and quickly changed the subject, "Ron, how many classes do we have left today?"  
  
"Just one. Defense Against the Dark Arts. Finally!" 


	6. The New Professor

Title: Deadly Love  
  
Written by: oopsiesgrl  
  
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance recommended (some swearing)  
  
Chapter Six: The New Professor  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Harry and Ron quickened their steps. They had already wasted some time talking about Snape, and this class, they wanted to get to on time, especially Ron. Hermione tagged behind. It wasn't very often she didn't enjoy a class, but she was dreading this one.  
  
When they came to the door, the others were already seated and Professor Fitz was waiting by her desk. She smiled at them, and Ron smiled back sheepishly while Hermione nodded as politely as she could. Ron made towards three empty seats at the very front. Hermione pulled at his robe to make him go to the back of the room. Ron ignored her and began sitting down. Hermione pulled at his sleeve again. The two fought silently for a while as the rest of the class watched amusingly. Professor Fitz pretended not to take notice. Harry finally nudged the two and led them to three seats in the middle. He made them sit next to each other while he took the seat behind Ron. Hermione was blushing furiously as she took out her books and parchment.  
  
"Okay," said Professor Fitz. "Good afternoon. I hope you have already heard a little about my class from your classmates. I want to make it as enjoyable as possible while teaching you as much as possible. This year, I believe, this class may be especially useful. Therefore, with Professor Dumbledore's permission, I will go into more advanced materials. Today, however, we'll begin with something simpler. Oh, you won't need your books today."  
  
The students put away their books gratefully. Harry thought Hermione had muttered something like, "Rubbish! Don't need your books my foot!"  
  
"Have you all heard of a memoria?" Professor Fitz was asking.  
  
Harry could tell Hermione knew what it was by the way she was biting her lips. In order to spite Ron, she was refusing to become friendly with Professor Fitz in any way.  
  
"Harry, do you know?" asked Professor Fitz.  
  
"Huh? Oh...um...not exactly..." stumbled Harry. Ron turned around and shrugged. From the looks on the faces of most of the other students, they didn't know either.  
  
"Miss Granger, how about you?" Professor Fitz turned to Hermione, who was now gripping her hands on the edge of the desk, still refusing to raise them.  
  
When hearing her name called, she looked up and said in a nonchalant voice, "A memoria is a collection of one's memories. It works similar to a pensieve, but is more advanced. You can go back to a memoria and relive everything."  
  
"Very good," said Professor Fitz approvingly.  
  
Placed at the front of the room was an oval mirror-like object. It was about two meters in height and one meter at its widest point. The front was made entirely of glass, with a wooden frame encircling it. Engraved into the wood at the top was the name "Mariana Fitz."  
  
"This is a memoria," the professor pointed to the object. "You walk through the glass and you can enter one of my memories. Like Miss Granger said, what's different about a memoria from a pensieve is that you can relive your memory in a memoria. In a pensieve, you are only a spectator. The person who enters my memoria becomes me. Also, a pensieve is more a collection of thoughts rather than memories while a memoria is literally a collection of memories. However, contrary from what you may think, you cannot change the events that happened because you're not traveling back in time. It still seems very realistic, however. You can see and feel and hear everything. The only unfortunate thing about this is not being able to move and speak freely. At first when you enter a memoria, you may feel like a puppet. You have to move exactly the way the owner of the memoria did and speak when he or she did. Today, I want you to enter my memoria. Why?"  
  
Parvati Patil raised her hand.  
  
"Yes...your name is Parvati Patil?"  
  
"Yes. Is it to experience some hardships you've experienced?"  
  
"Well, not quite. Let me give you a hint. You will be entering a few of my memories of fighting Dark Arts. Harry? Do you know?"  
  
"Um...to have us experience fighting Dark Arts."  
  
"Right. We are miles away from some of the most dangerous places around the world. Later this year, I will ask Professor Dumbledore if we may visit some of them. But for now, this is our only option. I have fixed my memoria to only reveal memories of fighting Dark Arts, so you won't be entering other memories. Let's see. What else? Oh, yes. I want you to be thinking in your mind what is the best spell to use before the memory says it out loud. After all, this is a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I want you to feel the emotions of facing your enemy, yet be quick enough to think about how to deal with it. Okay, any questions before we begin?"  
  
Neville asked nervously, "What kind of creatures will we be - be facing?"  
  
"It will be a surprise. I want to see how well you face the unknown." Neville whimpered at the thought of the unknown. "Don't worry. This is a review, so it won't be hard. Most of these you've probably faced before. The next time we meet, we'll begin something more difficult. Do you need to refresh your memory about a few spells before we begin?"  
  
"No," the class chorus, eager to start.  
  
"Alright. Who wants to go first? How about you, Harry?"  
  
"Uh...me?" Harry looked around the room. Several others had raised their hands and he hadn't, but she still picked him. "Sure." He walked slowly to the front of the room.  
  
"All you have to do is walk through the glass," assured Professor Fitz. She pointed to the smaller oval mirror-like object on her desk and said, "I will be able to see what's going on through the eyora. After this first memory is over, I will tell you to come out. All you have to do is say, 'unmemorion,' and you will feel something pulling you back. Of course, if you want to come out before my signal, you're welcome to. Okay. Do you want to begin?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
Harry walked toward the glass. It looked solid, but when he touched it, the glass melted away. The classroom behind slowly disappeared and the scene in front was pitch black. As soon as Harry's left foot vanished into the memoria, a strong force pulled his body forward. He went falling face down into the blackness and whirling wind rushed past his ears. Slowly, swirls of colors began appearing around him. The colors formed distinct pictures as Harry's feet landed firmly on the ground.  
  
Before Harry could take a good look around him, his face was positioned forward and his feet were forced to move rapidly ahead. All around him, people were running and screaming incessantly. The doors and windows of every store and house were tightly shut. Further down the road, malicious laughter and threatening yells echoed off the walls. The air was filled with terror.  
  
It didn't take Harry very long to figure out where he was as he wove his way through the crowd, every step he took being forced into Professor Fitz's movements. The narrow cobblestone road was lined with intricate shops. Out of the corner of Harry's eye, he saw wooden signs with the words "Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions," "Flourish and Blotts," and "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." Ahead, Harry saw the magnificent white brick building. Above the tall, wooden doors were the golden letters, "Gringotts."  
  
Outside the doors of the wizard's bank, wizards, standing face to face in two lines, were pointing their wands at one another. Spells shot back and forth between the two groups. The spells they used looked more advanced than what Harry usually saw at Hogwarts.  
  
'What's going on here?' thought Harry. 'What's happening at Diagon Alley?'  
  
As Harry continued to run toward the scene, his eyes were on the people. On one side, the wizards wore long black cloaks that trailed the ground and a dark hood. A grotesque mask left only holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth. The wizards and witches on the other side wore grim expressions on their tired faces. Their robes were dirty, as were their faces and hands. There were many more of the masked than the other group. Their posture seemed easy and their cloaks immaculate. Harry could hear the cold laughter emerging from under those ghostly masks as a man on the other side fell down in pain from the spell that had just hit him. A chill ran down Harry's spine. This wasn't a duel. It was a battle.  
  
Harry was near the scene and his steps slowed down. He felt a force move his hand into his pocket for his own wand, or rather, Professor Fitz's wand. He gripped it tightly and walked toward the unmasked group. Inside, he was not so certain about his move.  
  
'Why did Professor Fitz send me here? What's going on anyway?'  
  
His heart was pounding in his chest.  
  
'She said I could leave any time I want to. Should I?'  
  
Harry scolded himself for the mere thought.  
  
'This isn't even real! What am I, a coward?'  
  
A blinding flash of light shot toward him. Harry saw it out of the corner of his eye. An invisible force pulled him back, dodging the spell. He fell roughly on the ground.  
  
"Mari!" Harry heard someone call.  
  
'Mari?'  
  
His face forced itself to turn toward the source of the sound. His eyes looked into the face. When Harry saw who it was, his heart beat even faster. Many emotions rushed into his body - love, amazement, confusion, surprise.  
  
The person who had called him "Mari" was a young woman, around 19 years of age. She had an oval face, framed by rich brown hair that fell to her shoulders. Her cheeks were a rosy red, but currently spattered with dirt and soot. But what had caught Harry's eyes the most were her eyes. A pair of bright green eyes watched Harry with worry.  
  
"Mari, are you okay?" she shouted over the noise. Behind them, the fight was still continuing fervently.  
  
Harry wanted to call out to her, to tell her who he was, but he couldn't. Instead, Professor Fitz's voice emerged from his mouth.  
  
"I'm fine, Lily. What's happening? I heard Death Eaters were at Diagon Alley."  
  
Lily Evans helped her friend up from the ground. Harry felt the friendly warmth of her hand.  
  
"They're trying to break into Gringotts!" she shouted in answer. "The goblins are not reliable enough. They'll turn to Voldemort in a flash if he is able to give them what they want. We're trying to hold the Death Eaters off, but we can't much longer. There are only a few of us, and it's mostly new Hogwarts graduates. Dumbledore and most of the Ministry were lured by Voldemort into Spain with false alarms, and they can't get back!"  
  
"What can I do?" Harry felt himself speaking again.  
  
"Come! Take out your wand!" Lily led Harry to the group of fighters. Most of them Harry didn't know, but a few, he did. There was Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, a man that resembled Neville Longbottom, and James Potter. Harry took the position next to his father and lifted Professor Fitz's wand.  
  
"Mari, you're here!" James said to him.  
  
"Of course I am," Professor Fitz spoke again through Harry's mouth.  
  
Lily came up and stood next to Harry.  
  
'My mom and dad...next to me,' thought Harry.  
  
Harry muttered a spell. What was it? He didn't know. His mind was too full of other thoughts to think about what spells were being used. Harry had seen his parents only two times since their death. Once, it was through the Mirror of Erised and the other time when a vision of them appeared from Voldemort's wand during his and Harry's duel. This was the first time Harry had been so close to them. Never before had they seemed so real. He wanted so desperately to talk to them.  
  
'I'm your son!' Harry shouted in his mind. 'I'm Harry!'  
  
He wanted to turn and take a better look at them, but the memoria forbid him from moving freely.  
  
Under his breath, Professor Fitz's voice continued to mutter spells. Curses shot at him every few seconds and he moved with Professor Fitz's body carelessly to dodge them. In front of him, the Death Eaters laughed coldly. Every now and then, another on their side fell, some even dying after being hit by the Killing Curse.  
  
'I should care more about what's going on here! This is serious! What I keep thinking about isn't. I can never be with my parents. I have to get out of my dream. I won't let this take over my life. Voldemort is back now. I should pay more attention to how to defeat him rather than linger on my dreams.'  
  
Harry listened intently to the spells that Professor Fitz muttered through his mouth and watched how the other wizards faced the challenge. He tried to not think about his parents again, but now and then, and mind wandered back to them.  
  
'No, Harry! Concentrate!'  
  
After a few minutes of Harry's battle, the scene around him began fading. Harry was freed form the memoria's controlled movements.  
  
"No!" he shouted. Harry grasped wildly at the fading images of James and Lily. He wanted to remain with them, but the memory was ending, and his parents were leaving again. "No!"  
  
"Harry, you can come out now," he heard Professor Fitz's voice say.  
  
Harry sighed. 'I can't live in a memory...' In a shaking voice, he said slowly, "Unmemorion."  
  
He felt his body being pulled backwards, out of the darkness that now surrounded him. Soon, the classroom reappeared. Harry saw all of the eyes on him as he stepped out of the glass. Ron had an expectant look on his face and Hermione too seemed curious despite herself.  
  
'Should I tell them who I saw?' wondered Harry. 'No, not yet. At least not until the three of us can talk alone.'  
  
Harry walked to his seat.  
  
"How was it?" Ron whispered to him.  
  
"It was okay," answered Harry. "Pretty - pretty exciting."  
  
"Thank you, Harry," said Professor Fitz. "Now, who wants to go next?"  
  
Most of the class raised their hands.  
  
"Miss Brown, how about you?"  
  
Just as Harry did, Lavender Brown disappeared into the glass of the memoria without a trace. Several minutes later, Professor Fitz called her back. As soon as she came back to her seat, Lavender began whispering excitedly to her friends about the exhilarating experience she had battling a vampire in Transylvania. After Lavender, Ron went into the memoria. He came back talking about surviving the attack of a werewolf in Spain. Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Parvati Patil each took their turn. Their enemies were either annoying Red Caps, misleading hinkypunks, runaway mummies, or, the most serious, Voldemort wannabes. Neville Longbottom came back shaking, refusing to say what he had battled. Hermione, who couldn't keep herself away from the memoria any longer, came back disappointed about only facing a boggart.  
  
"I wanted to have something more difficult," she said to Harry, still not talking much to Ron. "Harry, guess what Professor Fitz fears the most."  
  
"What?"  
  
"A pair of eyes! At least, that's what I think the boggart turned into."  
  
"That's weird," Harry said absently, not really hearing what Hermione was saying. His thoughts were somewhere else.  
  
'Why am I the only one who faced Death Eaters?' he wondered. 'Why was it me?'  
  
"Okay, class." Professor Fitz stood up. "Now that everybody has had the review, we will begin something more difficult during our next class. Our discussion will include more of Dark witches and wizards from now on rather than the creatures that you've learned before. More difficult spells - "  
  
"Brrrrriiiiiiiing!!!" The bell broke her sentence.  
  
"The class is dismissed. Harry, will you stay a moment?"  
  
Ron turned around and shrugged his shoulders. "Wonder what that's about." Hermione too looked confused. "See you in the common room then, Harry." The two of them left the classroom.  
  
Harry gathered his books and walked up to Professor Fitz's table.  
  
"Professor?"  
  
Professor Fitz looked up at him smiling. She extended her hand for him to shake.  
  
"Hello, Harry Potter. My name is Mariana Fitz. Nice to meet you."  
  
"Uh...hello," Harry responded, slightly confused. "Professor, we've already met. At the infirmary?"  
  
"Not personally though. Just as professor and student. Harry, I went to school with you parents, did you know?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I was in the same year as them and Remus, Sirius, and...Peter. I knew them quite well, in fact. You probably already sensed that from the memoria."  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"They were wonderful people, your parents. I left England to learn more about the Dark Arts a year after I graduated from Hogwarts and haven't come back until now. I regretted so much that I didn't see them before Voldemort..."  
  
She was the first professor at Hogwarts besides Dumbledore and Remus Lupin Harry had heard say Voldemort's name out loud.  
  
Professor Fitz wiped away the tears that were trickling down her face and continued. "I'm glad you're their son, Harry. Your parents would have been so proud."  
  
"Thank you, Professor." Harry was very grateful he was able to meet another of his parents' friends. It was the best he could have after not having really known his own parents.  
  
The two sat in silence for a while. Several minutes later, Harry broke the silence. He asked the question that had been plaguing his mind since he entered the memoria. "Professor, why did you send me to that first memory? Why was I the only one who faced Death Eaters?"  
  
"Because you're the only one, maybe besides Ron and Hermoine, who could have handled it. If I had let someone else enter that memory, they would probably freak out and have their parents accuse me of emotional abuse."  
  
They grinned at the joke.  
  
"Besides, your parents. I knew how much you wanted to see them and feel what their lives were like. That was the only memory germane to this class of them that I had saved into the memoria."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You don't have to thank me, Harry." Professor Fitz sighed. "Harry, and I don't want you to misunderstand. I don't feel sorry for you. In fact, it's the opposite. You're amazing. Your talent at Quidditch and your wizarding skills are beyond a normal fifth-year's abilities. Keep it up. I know your parents would have wanted you to be great."  
  
Harry nodded gratefully.  
  
"Oh, and by the way Professor," he said. "What happened with Gringotts afterwards?"  
  
"Well, Professor Dumbledore and the Minister officials came back in time. They defeated the Death Eaters and at least Voldemort didn't get control of the money. Many died that day. I was one of the lucky ones. Those were hard times. I can't believe it might come back now."  
  
Harry looked down. He didn't want that to come back either. What kind of terror will exist if it comes back? How many innocent people will die?  
  
"Well, I won't keep you any longer," said Professor Fitz. "Your friends are probably waiting for you."  
  
"Well, bye, professor. I'm glad we talked."  
  
"So am I, Harry."  
  
Harry left the classroom and made his way up to Gryffindor Tower. 


	7. Proposal of Love

Title: Deadly Love  
  
Written by: oopsiesgrl  
  
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance recommended (some swearing)  
  
Chapter Seven: Proposal of Love  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Harry walked up one flight of stairs after another, feeling much better after talking with Professor Fitz. The stairs at Hogwarts moved whenever they wanted to, so he had to be careful. One minute, they led to the Charms corridor, and the next minute it was to the Ravenclaw common room. The same happened with the people in the paintings. They enjoyed going into each other's frames and chat, mostly gossiping about the students who walked by. However, the worst thing that could happen to a student late for class is bumping into Peeves the Poltergeist. He wasn't one of the Hogwarts ghosts, but for some reason, the annoying brat was allowed to remain. Peeves loved to taunt the students, especially the icky first years. Argus Filch, the bitter caretaker, and the professors all couldn't control him. He only listened to Bloody Baron, the Slytherin ghost, who often floated around with a sinister expression on his face. Speaking of ghosts, it would be dreadful to walk through one, as their bodies were icy cold. It sometimes happened when students rounded a corner and one of the resident ghosts was coming from that direction.  
  
Luckily, Harry didn't bump into one of the usual obstacles. He soon came to the painting of the Fat Lady that hid the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
"Hello," the Fat Lady said to Harry. "If I were you, I wouldn't go in there just now. Some argument is going on. Very loud, it is."  
  
"Okay. But I still want to go in."  
  
"Are you sure? Okay. What's the password?"  
  
"Pigwidgeon." Somehow, Ginny had coaxed the Fat Lady into making Ron's miniature owl's name the password that morning. She had named the very hyper owl that Sirius had given Ron. Ron preferred calling him "Pig."  
  
The Fat Lady swung open and Harry found out she was very right. It was very loud in there. Two people were shouting, and it sounded like Ron and Hermione's voices. He climbed through the hole and saw them standing in the middle of the circular common room yelling their heads off at each other. The rest of Gryffindor were very quiet, listening to them amusingly. Harry sighed. Something similar had happened after the Yule Ball last year, when Ron had become jealous Hermione had gone to the dance with Viktor Krum, Seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch team and the student from Durmstrang who competed with Harry in the Triwizard Tournament.  
  
"What's wrong with Professor Fitz?" Ron was yelling.  
  
"She's your professor and you're drooling all over her!" Hermione shouted back. "Don't you think there's something wrong with that?"  
  
"What about you and Professor Lockhart? You were all over him! You even gave him a Valentine's card!"  
  
"That - that's not the point here!" Hermione was beet red with both fury and embarrassment.  
  
"Yes, it is! You're jealous! Admit it!"  
  
"Ron! Hermione!" Harry came between the two of them and tried to keep them from fighting any longer. He thought this argument had gone quite far enough. But they pushed his hands away and kept quarreling.  
  
"I thought you said Professor Fitz would be like Lockhart on the train," pointed out Hermione. "You said she might be a fake. But now you're saying how great she is. Isn't that kind of ironic?"  
  
"I didn't know her when I said that and now I do know her. I think she's great. Do you have a problem with that?"  
  
Hermione looked at Ron angrily, her hair in disarray. Her curls looked even wilder than usual. Ron's red hair was standing at odd ends too, and his fists were clenched tightly.  
  
"Why don't you get out of my business and go have fun with Viktor Krum?" Ron yelled heatedly.  
  
"Oh! And what about you and Fleur Delacour, the beautiful Triwizard Tournament champion from Beauxbatons? Oh wait! I forgot! She doesn't want you!"  
  
"Shut up, Hermione! At least I didn't go to the Yule Ball with Harry's rival!"  
  
"It's okay!" Harry broke in again. "I didn't mind."  
  
"So you're still jealous about the Yule Ball? I thought we settled this before summer! Didn't you love Viktor Krum and his Quidditch skills before the Yule Ball? You didn't care then about making friends with one of Harry's rivals!"  
  
"Because - because...because I didn't know he was going to ask you out then!" Ron stuttered. "You're mine!"  
  
Suddenly, he pulled Hermoine into his arms and held her tightly. He kissed her lightly on the cheek. The whole common room was stunned, including Harry.  
  
"Go, Ron!" Fred yelled, laughing.  
  
Hermione suddenly burst into tears and broke away from Ron's embrace. She ran out of the common room with her face buried in her hands. Harry and Ginny looked after her worriedly.  
  
"Ginny, follow her," said Harry.  
  
"Okay," Ginny agreed and left in search of Hermione.  
  
Harry didn't think Hermoine would as readily confide in him than another girl. Meanwhile, maybe he could comfort Ron, who was standing rooted to the spot with a strange expression on his face.  
  
The rest of the common room was still staring at Ron in surprise. Harry dragged him upstairs into their room and shut the door behind them. Ron had already had enough embarrassment. Although he and Hermione had created it for themselves, the others shouldn't have just sat there and listened to it all. The two of them sat down on Harry's bed. Ron was staring blankly at the wall and didn't speak for a long time. Harry had never seen him like this.  
  
"Ron," he finally broke the silence, "are you alright?"  
  
"She doesn't...l-like me as more than a friend, does she?" Ron's voice was shaking.  
  
"Not necessarily. She could have just been surprised."  
  
"Harry, she left the common room crying! That doesn't sound like surprise to me."  
  
"That might have just been a first reaction," Harry comforted. "Maybe she was crying because she was too happy or something. Hermione must have been too embarrassed to stay in the common room. I mean, the entire Gryffindor House heard what you were talking about and saw what you did. If it was me, I would have wished to disappear. So don't be too depressed. She has to like you at least a little. She got jealous of Professor Fitz, didn't she?"  
  
"What about Krum?" Ron was still pessimistic. "She went to the Yule Ball with him."  
  
"You never asked her to go with you. And you kept saying how there weren't even any decent-looking girls left when she had never told you she already had a date."  
  
"Krum is a hundred times better than me. The Seeker of a national Quidditch team and one of the worthy competitors for the Triwizard Tournament. What am I? A poor trash living in poverty."  
  
"No, you're not, Ron! You're just as worthy as Viktor Krum!"  
  
"That might not be what she thinks..."  
  
"Ron... That's not true. Really."  
  
Ron sighed. "I never knew I thought of her this way until summer. I kept wondering if Hermione had taken up on his invitation to visiting him in Bulgaria. She came over to my house though the last week before school. I didn't dare ask her if she had seen Krum because I didn't want her to know I cared that much. That's why I faked so much interest in Professor Fitz too, so she wouldn't guess how I really felt about her."  
  
"You're a good actor."  
  
"Not good enough. I lost it down there."  
  
"Ron... Don't worry about it. Don't feel so bad."  
  
"I can't help it, damn it! The stuff with Percy and Dad at home and now Hermione. I just don't know... With Voldemort back, who knows what else will happen? Harry...the carriage thing...how did they get so near Hogwarts? My dad told me Dumbledore had done a spell so Voldemort couldn't come near. They shouldn't be able to come within ten miles of Hogwarts."  
  
"That's strange. Maybe...they found some way to get past it, or maybe Voldemort -" Ron cringed at the name "- is so powerful he can penetrate through the spell."  
  
"Yeah, maybe." Ron shook his head. "Here I am worrying about my petty problems while You-Know-Who is out there somewhere, probably planning to..." His voice trailed off.  
  
"To kill me?" Harry laughed coldly. "Then we just won't let him kill me."  
  
"Harry... Why did he have to come back?" Ron said miserably.  
  
"I don't know... Let's talk about something else. This topic is too depressing."  
  
"Okay. Then let's just go down to dinner now. It's starting soon anyway."  
  
"Sure. Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Ron assured.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
They walked back down the stairs to the common room. Only a few people remained in there, and they left Harry and Ron alone about what happened. Harry and Ron made their way to the Great Hall.  
  
Today, the enchanted ceiling was pink mixed with orange, revealing the romantic feeling of a sundown. Ron looked towards the Gryffindor table hopefully, in search of Hermione's curly mass of brown hair. She and Ginny weren't here yet. Disappointed, Ron took a seat by his brothers and Harry followed.  
  
"Sorry, Ron," Fred apologized. He felt guilty about the remark he made. "I shouldn't have been so insensitive."  
  
"It's okay. She would probably have reacted the same way if you hadn't said that."  
  
"You okay, Ron?" asked George.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." He was relieved the twins weren't making fun of him like they usually would.  
  
Nearby, though, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were pointing at Ron and giggling, as were many other girls, even those not in Gryffindor. The word about Ron and Hermione had spread like wildfire. "I wish I was that Granger girl," some of the girls said. "How romantic!" Malfoy and several Slytherins were smirking and looking at Ron, clearly making fun of him. Harry glared at them. George said angrily, "Ignore those bastards!" but it wasn't necessary, because Ron seemed to have too much on his mind to care.  
  
"You know, you're a dunderhead," said Fred, trying to start some humor, "but you're still my little bro. I'm here if you need to talk."  
  
"Thanks, Fred," said Ron.  
  
"Don't worry too much," said George. "We've been dumped tons of times and we turned out okay, didn't we?" Ron grinned. It was difficult not to smile with the Weasley twins around. "Besides, you don't know yet if she is rejecting you. So cheer up."  
  
Food suddenly appeared on the tables and everybody dug in. Ron was talking to Fred and George, so Harry let his attention wander. His eyes landed on the Ravenclaw table. Cho Chang looked as beautiful as usual. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and soft bangs fell to her eyes. What was missing was the friendly smile Harry usually saw on her face last year, before Cedric's death.  
  
'I wonder if she would smile for me,' thought Harry. 'Is she still thinking about Cedric Diggory?'  
  
"Harry," George broke his thoughts.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We need to start planning for our Quidditch team. With Wood gone, we need a new Captain and Keeper."  
  
George was referring to Oliver Wood, the former Gryffindor Quidditch Captain who also played the position of Keeper. He graduated two years ago. Last year, with the Triwizard Tournament, Quidditch games were cancelled, so Gryffindor hadn't found a replacement yet.  
  
Quidditch is a very popular sport played on broomsticks. There are three hoops on each side of a Quidditch field, all of them fifty feet in the air. The three Chasers from each team uses a red ball called a Quaffle to score by shooting them through the opposing team's hoops, ten points for each goal. Two smaller black balls, the Bludgers, are used to disable the other team's players. The two Beaters from each team use bats slightly shorter than baseball bats to hit the Bludgers. The smallest ball is the Golden Snitch, which is about the same size as a golf ball. It has small white wings and can disappear in a flash. It's the Seeker's job to find and catch the snitch. The team that catches the Snitch first is awarded fifty points and so most likely wins. The game only ends after the Snitch is caught. Some games, although not at Hogwarts, have been known to last months.  
  
The Gryffindor team currently consists of Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, and Angelina Johnson as the Chasers. The Weasley twins are the two Beaters. Harry is the Seeker, and a very talented one at that, just like his father.  
  
"Do you guys have anybody in mind for the Keeper?" Harry asked.  
  
"Not yet," answered Fred. "We need to hold tryouts some time soon. Let's have a meeting to discuss things with the girls."  
  
"How about Friday afternoon next week?" suggested Harry. "I think Gryffindor has a free afternoon that day."  
  
"Sure. Somewhere quiet in the common room. We'll vote for the new Captain that day too."  
  
"I think we need to find possible Chasers and Beaters for next year too," George pointed out. "Fred, Alicia, Angelina, Katie, and me are all graduating this year. We wouldn't want for you to find five players all by yourself."  
  
Harry nodded. George was right. He, and maybe their future Keeper, is the only one left on the Gryffindor team next year.  
  
"They're here," Ron nudged Harry and whispered.  
  
Harry looked up and saw Ginny and Hermione coming toward them. Hermione looked as if she didn't want to be here, but being dragged by Ginny, she had no choice.  
  
"Ron," Ginny said, "Hermione has something to say to you." She pulled Ron out of his seat by his collar. "Remember what we rehearsed?" Ginny whispered to Hermione, and ushered the two of them out of the Great Hall. As soon as they were out of the door, she came back to the table and sat down to eat.  
  
"So?" Harry asked curiously.  
  
"What did you and Hermione talk about?" said Fred. "Come on! Tell!"  
  
Ginny just smiled broadly, but they took her hint.  
  
"Alright!" said George. "So Ronniekins worried for nothing?"  
  
"Yup," answered Ginny. "Hermione told me she 'thinks' she likes Ron, and she's going to tell him. Am I brilliant or what?"  
  
"You're the greatest, Ginny!" said Harry.  
  
Ginny blushed furiously. 'And so are you, Harry,' she was thinking.  
  
Ten minutes later, Ron and Hermione came back. Hermione looked relieved, and Ron sat back down with a fake smile plastered on his face.  
  
"Ron..." said Harry. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Of course!" he answered far too brightly.  
  
"So...what's going on with you two?"  
  
"Hermione," Ginny said sternly, "you did tell him, didn't you?"  
  
"Of course." Hermione smiled weakly. "We're just friends. And that's what I told you, right, Ginny?"  
  
"Hermione!" Ginny said in frustration.  
  
"Yeah, we're just friends," said Ron.  
  
"Hermione?" Harry turned to her.  
  
"We're just friends. Best friends. All three of us. Always..."  
  
"Yeah, we're friends," Harry said slowly. 'What's wrong with Hermione? Why is she saying this?' he wondered.  
  
The next day, everything went back to normal, or as normal as it could be with what had happened. Ron and Hermione seemed to have forgotten everything that happened in the common room and during their talk outside the Great Hall. But others hadn't forgotten. Every time a Slytherin saw one of them in the hallway, they were teased. Malfoy pretended to make kissing noises as he passed Hermione in the hallway while Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly. Ron and Hermione acted very bravely, and pretended not to hear or see them. They didn't seem to be affected by it at all. So after a week, everything passed, like many other embarrassing things. Many grew tired of making the jokes without getting any reaction from the two of them and went on to some other gossip.  
  
One night, Harry, Ron and Hermione were the only ones left in the common room. Everybody else were in bed, but Ron and Harry still had things left to finish. It was still only the second week of school, but already the homework was piling up.  
  
Professor Snape was still acting abnormal, but his class continued to be difficult. Harry was poring over his Potions book to memorize the ingredients and process of making the Veritaserum. Snape was testing them tomorrow and threatened that whoever who didn't succeed in making an effective potion would have fifty points taken off from their house and receive a bad mark. Not only would they be shunned by the rest of the house, but it would also be hard to get their grade back up. Snape had given this warning to everybody, even the Slytherins. His mind seemed clearer than during the first class, but he was still very different than before, sometimes dazier than at other times. Many have begun to accept this as a nice change, but Harry was still wondering about the reason.  
  
Ron was finishing the ten-foot long report for Professor Binns' class, History of Magic. This banal class was the only one taught by a ghost. His "passion," if he had any at all, for teaching led Professor Binns to remain at Hogwarts after his death. So, with more interesting things on his mind, Ron had left the report of the 1132 goblin rebellion to the last minute, with much scolding from Hermione, who had finished hers the day it was assigned. ("You know we're taking our O.W.L.'s this year," she had said disapprovingly. "You should worker harder to prepare for it.")  
  
Hermione was sitting on a couch with her squashed-faced cat, Crookshanks, on her lap. The other two were still not done with their work, so she decided to stay up, giving them help any time they needed it.  
  
"Done!" Ron said happily, blowing the ink dry. "How are you doing, Harry?"  
  
"Almost finished... Finished!" Harry slammed his book shut. "Hermione, can you quiz me?" She had already memorized everything days ago, naturally.  
  
"Sure. What is the main ingredient for the Veritaserum?"  
  
"Unicorn hair."  
  
"Right. How long do you have to brew the potion after the initial dose of pumpkin juice?"  
  
"Uh...fifteen minutes?"  
  
"Correct."  
  
With Hermione being very thorough and diligent, the questions droned on and on and on until Ron finally interrupted her. "Alright already, Hermione. My ears are starting to buzz with rat-tails and unicorn hair. You're making me nervous about Snape's class!"  
  
Hermione frowned, but said to Harry, "Okay, that's good enough. You'll do fine tomorrow." Then, she turned to Ron. "But you, I'm not so sure about!"  
  
"Don't worry! I know the stuff already! Let's just change the subject. I've had enough of work for tonight."  
  
"Then what should we talk about?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Oh, Harry!" said Ron. "Do you guys have anybody in mind for Keeper yet?"  
  
"Not yet. We're going to discuss it on Friday and probably hold tryouts."  
  
"Can I play on the team?" asked Ron hopefully.  
  
"Ha! You?" laughed Hermione.  
  
"What about me?" said Ron, sounding slightly offended.  
  
"Oh, nothing. I just can't imagine you being the Keeper and Gryffindor still winning." Hermione tried to suppress a second burst of laughter.  
  
Harry watched them amusingly. Hermione and Ron had been like this ever since they met, pretending to argue and with a few real arguments now and then. Harry could tell that they were hiding their true feelings behind the jokes and teasings.  
  
'Maybe I should help them along,' thought Harry. Then, he remembered the expression on Hermione's face several days ago in the Great Hall when she spoke of their friendship. 'Or maybe I should just butt out and mind my own business. They probably have their reasons'  
  
"Hey, guys! You can stop now!" Harry said over their voices. "You're going to wake up the whole house. Besides, I have something to tell you two."  
  
Ron and Hermione calmed down.  
  
"What is it?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Remember our first Defense class and the memoria?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Which memory did you go to anyway, Harry?" asked Ron, remembering Harry hadn't told them yet.  
  
"I went to Diagon Alley and fought Death Eaters."  
  
Hermione gasped.  
  
"It was a memory from the first time Voldemort was in power. And.I saw my parents again. And Sirius and Remus."  
  
"You did?" Ron's jaw dropped to the floor.  
  
"Yeah. Professor Fitz knew my parents. They were friends."  
  
"And is that what she talked to you about after class?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"No wonder she seemed closer to you than anybody else," she said.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, she called you 'Harry' and addressed the rest of us with Mr. or Miss."  
  
"Are you jealous, Hermione?" teased Ron. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized he shouldn't have said it. His face turned bright red, and so did Hermione's. Obviously, what had happened between them wasn't as far from their minds as they pretended. 


	8. Quidditch Tryouts

Title: Deadly Love  
  
Written by: oopsiesgrl  
  
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance recommended (some swearing)  
  
Chapter Eight: Quidditch Tryouts  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
On Friday morning, Harry received his first letter since his arrival at Hogwarts. With the new restrictions on mail, they no longer saw the sea of owls flying into the Great Hall the way they used to. Each morning this year, there were usually only a dozen or two birds carrying letters to their owners.  
  
As Hedwig swooped down to Harry, her white feathers glistening in the sun, he wondered whom the letter could be from. Hedwig landed on the table and chirped at Harry with affection. She raised her left leg for him to untie the letter.  
  
He removed the parchment from Hedwig's leg and opened it. "It's from Sirius!" he said happily.  
  
"What does it say?" asked Ron.  
  
Harry laid the parchment out on the table and the three of them huddled together to read.  
  
~  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
How are you? I heard about what happened on your first day back at Hogwarts. Dumbledore wrote to me about it. Are you, Ron, and Hermione all right? Is your hand okay now, Harry?  
  
I'm not trying to frighten you, but be careful at Hogwarts. I'm certain Dumbledore will do all he can to make sure everybody's safe, but there are always things he may miss. I'm especially worried about who was involved in the carriage incident. Voldemort or a Death Eater should not have been able to come so near Hogwarts with the precautions Dumbledore took. It is very possible that that person is at Hogwarts right now. He might have pretended to be one of us to get in. Or maybe someone who pretended to be back on our side never actually came back. Snape was once a Death Eater, and then he suddenly came back to our side with no apparent reason. Maybe Snape isn't trustworthy, or maybe he is. I don't know. Also, I don't think it was Voldemort that night; it's not his style. But it could be someone who wants to regain his trust after betraying him. Again, it could be Snape trying to regain his trust. Be careful, Harry.  
  
I'm sorry I brought those things up. Let's go on to a lighter subject. I heard Mariana Fitz is working as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year. She's wonderful. I knew her in school, and so did your parents. Did she tell you yet? She's very nice.  
  
I'm fine, and so is Remus. We're still on some business, but we'll be able to come to Hogwarts in a month or two. I saw Hagrid a month ago. He was looking for his mother, and hoping that she will consider their relationship before taking sides with Voldemort. Have you heard from him yet? Well, Remus is looking forward to seeing you, Ron, and Hermione. Say hello to them for us. Take care, and be on your guard.  
  
Sirius  
  
P.S. You have a very clever owl. She probably knew you wanted to hear from me and that I wanted to write to you, so she came to find me.  
  
~  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up from the letter.  
  
"Do you think Sirius is serious about Snape?" said Hermione quietly. "He's right. You have to be careful, Harry."  
  
"I don't think Snape did it," said Harry. "He saved my life once, and I don't think he is as bad as those other Death Eaters. Especially now. He seems much nicer."  
  
"What if he's under the Imperius Curse?" gasped Ron. During Voldemort's last reign of terror, he often used the curse to control others, making it difficult for the Ministry of Magic to tell apart the true followers from the forced followers.  
  
"Ron is right!" whispered Hermione. "He may not try to harm us, but what if Voldemort forced him to? I mean, he seems dazed half the time, right? And that's one of the signs of the Imperius Curse!"  
  
"Write to Sirius about Snape," said Ron. "Maybe he'll know something."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Here, I have some parchment and ink with me." Hermione fumbled through her bag.  
  
Harry quickly scribbled a letter before breakfast ended.  
  
~  
  
Dear Sirius,  
  
I received your letter. I'm fine, and so are Ron and Hermione. We just thought about something concerning Snape. He's acting really weird since the beginning of the year. He seems dazed half the time, but he still remembers where he is and everything. Could it be the Imperius Curse?  
  
Professor Fitz told me she knew my parents. She seems very nice. I'd love to get to know her better.  
  
That will be all for now. Say hi to Remus for us. Hope you're well.  
  
Harry  
  
~  
  
Harry folded up the parchment and tied it to Hedwig's leg.  
  
"Take it to Sirius for me, okay?" Harry stroked her feathers gently and fed her several pieces of bread. Hedwig chirped satisfyingly and took off.  
  
"Let's hope we hear from Sirius soon," said Ron.  
  
********  
  
That afternoon, Harry waited in the Gryffindor common room with Katie, Alicia, and Angelina for Fred and George to come. He had been looking forward to the Quidditch meeting since classes began after breakfast. If anything could take his mind off troubles, it was Quidditch, even if it was only talking about it. And today, he needed the distraction. Sirius' letter had brought out the worries hidden in the back of his mind. All day, Voldemort, Snape, and Death Eaters were all he thought about. He had no inkling of anything that was taught. In Charms, Professor Flitwick had called on him five times for not paying attention.  
  
Just as Harry felt he couldn't wait any longer for the meeting to start, the painting of the Fat Lady opened again. A large foot wearing handed down, weathered shoes stuck in through the hole, followed by George's red head. Behind him, Fred came in.  
  
"Hey," said George to Harry and the girls. "Sorry we're late. We kinda...uh...got in trouble for using some Slytherins as testers for our Nose Bots."  
  
"Yeah," said Fred glumly. "Filch was questioning us about it. He gave us detention again. Hey, but the candy works!" His face spread into a smile. "You should have seen Adrian Pucey's nose! Man! It was the size of a watermelon!"  
  
Katie giggled and shook her head. Harry listened amusingly. He would have liked to see Adrian Pucey's nose.  
  
"Have you guys started discussing anything yet?" asked Fred.  
  
"No," answered Alicia. "We were waiting for you two."  
  
We're here now, so let's get down to business," said Fred. He and George took two chairs and sat down by their teammates.  
  
"First of all," started Angelina. "We need a Captain. Who do you think it should be?"  
  
Everyone's eyes turned to Harry.  
  
"Me?" he said in amazement.  
  
"You're easily the best player on the team, Harry," said George.  
  
"I'm only good as a Seeker. I definitely won't do well playing Chaser, not to mention a Beater. Besides, you guys have had way more experience than me."  
  
"Think about it, Harry," said Angelina. "Oliver became Captain during his fifth year."  
  
"Yeah, but he was the oldest then."  
  
"Okay...then...the rest of us are all leaving Hogwarts the end of the year. Even if one of us is made the Captain, it'll only be for a year, so there's not much of a point to it."  
  
"Come one, Harry," said Alicia.  
  
"I'll feel awkward leading a group of seventh years," said Harry. "I think you should be Captain, Angelina. You have the best leadership skills out of all of us."  
  
Angelina looked around at the rest of the team. "Are you sure, Harry?" she asked.  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"How about it, Angie?" said Katie.  
  
"Does everyone agree?" asked Angelina.  
  
"Yeah! Sure!" they chorused.  
  
"Okay, then. Harry, promise you'll be Captain next year? You'll be good."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Okay," said Angelina. "Let's go to the next topic. Who will be our new Keeper? Does anybody have anyone good in mind or do we need to hold tryouts?"  
  
"We haven't really seen anybody else in our house play," said Alicia.  
  
"Yeah," said Fred. "I think we need to hold tryouts."  
  
"Okay," said Angelina. "How about...Saturday next week? That will give people time to prepare."  
  
"Sounds good," said Fred, and everybody else agreed.  
  
"It's best if we get someone who isn't too old," said Alicia.  
  
"Yeah, we need a really good player from fourth year or below so they can stay a while on the team," said George.  
  
Angelina nodded.  
  
"We should look for Chasers and Beaters for next year too," said Fred. "That way, Harry won't have to look for five players by himself."  
  
"That's a good idea, Fred," said Angelina. "Katie, can you write an announcement? We'll have the tryouts on Saturday, the...19th, at 10 in the morning. I'll book the Quidditch field."  
  
********  
  
During the following week, many Gryffindors, second year and older, became very desperate to practice for Quidditch. They practice day and night, any spare minute they had. Those who didn't own a broom borrowed one of their friends' and they practiced together or, if they really had no other choice, one of the school's. Even Professor McGonagall held a different air than usual. She too seemed quite excited about finding a new Keeper and forming a team for next year. McGonagall is the Head of Gryffindor house, and having a good Quidditch team was important to her. The first years, as well, have been roused from their usual first-month-of-school-stupor. They weren't allowed to be on the team (McGonagall bent the rule for Harry), but Quidditch was still exciting.  
  
Saturday morning came rather quickly. Half the house showed up on the Quidditch field with their brooms that day. The other half, including Ron and Hermione, came to watch. Ron said he didn't want to tryout, and that he was only joking about being on the team. Professor McGonagall came too, of course.  
  
Members of the other houses were forbidden to come near the field while the tryouts were going on. McGonagall herself put a spell around the field. And windows from the castle that looked out onto the field were blocked. They are opponents, after all.  
  
The Quidditch field is located near the Forbidden Forest. Like a professional field, the one at Hogwarts had the standard fifty-foot tall hoops on both ends. The grass underneath was trim and neat. Argus Filch wasn't very nice of a person, but he took care of the castle and its grounds well. The tall stands and locker rooms had been magicked away. A couple of chairs had been placed at the edge of the field, in which sat the Gryffindor team and McGonagall.  
  
Angelina stood up and faced the crowd. "Sonorus," she pointed her wand to her throat and muttered. Her voice boomed out as if she was using a microphone. "Quiet please, everyone! My name is Angelina Johnson, in case you don't know. I play the position of Chaser and I'm the new Captain of the Gryffindor team. From the announcement we posted, you probably already know what we're looking for. All interested in playing the position of Keeper, follow Harry Potter and Alicia Spinnet. Beaters, go with Fred and George Weasley. And Chasers follow Katie Bell and me. We will be testing you three at a time while one of us takes notes on your performance. Good luck, all!"  
  
Angelina and Katie led their group of people to the other end of the field. They had the Chasers attempt scoring and passing the ball to each other. Fred and George tested the Beaters on how hard and accurate they hit the Bludgers. Alicia shot the Quaffle from all angles while the Keeper tried to prevent her from scoring. Harry took notes on the players' performances.  
  
After several hours, Alicia and Harry had been through just about all the people trying out for Keeper. The last person on their list was Dean Thomas, and he seemed to be the best one so far. He hadn't missed even one of Alicia's shots yet. His years as goalie for Muggle soccer were paying off.  
  
Harry was glad Dean was the last person because he hands were sore from writing. He looked up from the notepad after making another mark for the last block Dean made. Harry followed Alicia as she flew around with the Quaffle in her hands, going for another surprise attack. She flew closer to the hoops, and shot at the one farthest left. Just then, Harry noticed something by the edge of the Forbidden Forest behind her head. It looked like a swish of a cloak and a face. Harry squinted for a closer look, but didn't see anything. Just as he was beginning to turn away, thinking it have been an animal or something, the face appeared again behind a tree. As suddenly as it had appeared, it disappeared again.  
  
'Maybe it's someone spying on our tryouts,' thought Harry. Students were forbidden to go into the forest, but Slytherins didn't care about the rules. They would cheat any time if it meant it would win them the Quidditch Cup.  
  
Dean had caught the last Quaffle, and he flew back down to the ground. Alicia came over to Harry, who was still staring intently to the forest.  
  
"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"I saw someone behind the trees in the Forbidden Forest. Could it be someone spying on our tryouts?"  
  
Alicia looked toward where Harry was pointing. "I don't see anything, but we better check to be sure. Let's ask McGonagall if we can go and see."  
  
The two of them flew down to where McGonagall was sitting.  
  
Harry explained what he had seen and they asked for permission to go into the Forest.  
  
"Okay." McGonagall was willing to bend the rules when it came to their chances of winning the Quidditch Cup. "Don't go too far in though."  
  
Harry and Alicia made their way across the field. Ron and Hermione caught up.  
  
"What's the matter?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Someone might be spying on our tryouts," explained Alicia.  
  
"I saw something in the forest," said Harry.  
  
"I'll bet it's Malfoy," said Ron. "It would be like him to stoop so low to cheat."  
  
The four of them were close to the forest now, and slowed down their steps.  
  
"Should we split up and search?" whispered Hermione, who felt it might be necessary they don't be too loud.  
  
"Okay," said Harry. All four took out their wands just in case the spy tried to put a curse on them. They split up and went in different directions.  
  
Harry walked into the Forbidden Forest. It was very dark, even near the edge. The towering trees blocked every ray of light. Leaves rustled under his feet.  
  
His eyes searched the area around him. There seemed to be nothing, only shadows over shadows. He gripped his wand tightly, expecting Malfoy or another Slytherin to jump on him.  
  
In the darkness, Harry suddenly saw a corner of the black cloak again. He walked toward it, but the person began walking deeper into the forest as soon as he began following.  
  
"Who are you?" Harry called out to the figure. There was no response. The person continued to walk slowly forward. Harry ran to catch up, and tried to grab the cloak. His hands almost touched the fabric, but the figure suddenly shot forward out of reach at the speed of light. Harry was stunned. "A Slytherin is not this powerful," he thought. "I've seen this magic somewhere. Not many wizards can perform it. Who is this person? Voldemort?" The hand holding his wand shook slightly. "Sirius said he shouldn't be able to get in. And my scar doesn't hurt."  
  
Harry walked closer and stopped. The figure stood several feet away, its back toward him. His heart pounded in his chest. Subconsciously, he had followed the figure farther into the Forbidden Forest than he wanted. They were now quite far from the Quidditch field. The voices of the players couldn't be heard anymore. Nor could he see Ron, Hermione, or Alicia anywhere near.  
  
"I have to be careful."  
  
Harry took a step forward again and gripped his wand tighter. "Who are you and what do you want?" he called out, louder this time.  
  
For a while, the figure didn't respond. Then, it began laughing coldly, the sound of its voice chilling every bone and marrow of Harry's body. When the laughter subsided, the figure said in a deep voice, "You don't want to know..."  
  
Suddenly, a flash of red light shot towards him. Harry felt a burning sensation on his right arm. Everything turned black. 


	9. Discussions and Dreams

Title: Deadly Love  
  
Written by: oopsiesgrl  
  
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance recommended  
  
Chapter Nine: Discussions and Dreams  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
"Harry!" he heard a distant voice call his name. "Harry, where are you?" It was Ron, and there was a trace of fear in his voice.  
  
Harry stirred and opened his eyes. Towering trees blocked the sunlight above him, and all he could see were shadows and blackness. Under his body, sharp twigs and leaves poked at him. He pulled himself into a sitting position, but as soon as he did, he groaned in pain. Blood was trickling down from a wound in his right arm. Harry looked down and saw a tear covering the length from his shoulder all the way to his elbow. The flesh beneath was decaying. Harry flinched at the sight. He remembered quite well how it happened, and it didn't make him feel any better.  
  
"Harry!" He heard Hermione's voice this time, along with the crackling of leaves as they came closer.  
  
"Hermione! Ron! I'm over here!" he called out. With his left arm, he took up his wand, which was lying next to him, and shot red sparks into the sky. Soon, he heard the sound of running.  
  
"Harry!" Ron's freckled face came into view on Harry's right. Behind him, Hermione was catching up.  
  
"Harry." Ron knelt down beside him, slightly breathless. "Wh - what happened to you?" he stuttered, looking at Harry's bloody arm with surprise and terror on his face.  
  
Hermione arrived, panting, and screamed when she took a look at Harry.  
  
"I followed him..." explained Harry between breaths as beads of sweat ran down his face because of the pain. "It's not a Slytherin...not a spy. H - he attacked me..."  
  
Hermione gasped.  
  
"Let's get you back to the castle," said Ron shakily. "Get you to Madam Pomfrey..." He placed Harry's left arm onto his shoulder and helped him get to his feet. "Can you walk?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Ron and Hermione traced their steps back out of the Forbidden Forest. They walked on either side of Harry, making sure that the branches didn't cut into his arm further. Tears were streaming down Hermione's face.  
  
"I never...never...should've suggested we split up..." she said through hiccups.  
  
"Hermione, it's not your fault," said Harry weakly.  
  
"I suggested splitting up," insisted Hermione.  
  
"It's not your fault, Hermione," sighed Ron. "None of us should have agreed to leave Harry by himself.  
  
As they struggled over the last root of a gigantic tree, McGonagall's admonishment reached their ears. "Granger and Weasley! I told you not to search for him by your -" She stopped when she saw Harry's arm, now almost entirely covered in blood. She gasped and ran over to them. Alicia, her face ashen, followed closely behind.  
  
"Potter, what happened to you?" asked McGonagall, her voice higher than usual.  
  
"The person in the forest, professor," explained Harry through clenched teeth. His arm hurt worse after moving around so much. "He attacked me."  
  
"Okay. Let's get you to the infirmary." Professor McGonagall conjured a stretcher and let Harry lie down. She trudged back to the castle leading the stretcher in from of her with her wand, and Hermione, Ron, and Alicia trailed along behind.  
  
Once they were in the main hall, McGonagall told Alicia she may proceed to lunch and warned her not to tell anyone what really happened. Alicia agreed and walked toward the Great Hall. As most students were still in lunch, Hermione, Ron, Professor McGonagall, and Harry were able to make it through the empty halls without any pestering (luckily, they didn't meet Peeves or Filch either).  
  
"Poppy!" Professor McGonagall called to Madame Pomfrey when they arrived at the infirmary.  
  
Madame Pomfrey emerged from her office and started at the sight of Harry on the floating stretcher.  
  
"Bring him to the bed," she said without further questions. "It's your arm?" She tore his sleeve apart to reveal his wound, and gasped in surprise and fright. McGonagall was also taken aback. She had expected a deep cut, not this. Harry's arm no longer resembled one. The skin, flesh, and muscles were only a mass of bloodiness, and the deterioration was quickly spreading to his shoulder and lower arm. The whiteness of parts of the bones showed underneath. Ron and Hermione winced at the sight.  
  
Madame Pomfrey stood up and walked quickly to the medicine cabinet in her office. A few seconds later, she came back by Harry's bed, her arms loaded with bandages, cotton balls, a flask of red liquid, a bottle of some sort of green gel, and a dropper filled with something blue.  
  
She sat down by Harry and said, "This will hurt some, dear, but it will be over in a minute."  
  
Harry nodded weakly. His arms were feeling as if they were on fire, and his eyes were watering with pain. He didn't even dare take a look at what his arm resembled now.  
  
Madam Pomfrey pulled Harry's sleeve off and dabbed some of the red potion directly on his arm. Then, she applied the green gel. Harry immediately felt a cool sensation and a tingling feeling that reached the tips of his fingers. After they dried some, she wrapped the bandages around his arm. Next, Harry was asked to open his mouth. Madame Pomfrey put a drop of the blue liquid in his mouth. As soon as it landed on his tongue, Harry felt his entire body go on fire. His injured arm seemed as if a burning iron was pounding it, hard. Harry closed his eyes and clenched his teeth tightly.  
  
"The pain will be over soon, dear," soothed Madame Pomfrey. "I'm going to get some pajamas for you to change into."  
  
Harry felt her rise from the bed and heard her footsteps as she walked back to her office with McGonagall, shutting the door to a slit. The pain in Harry's arm had subsided a little, and he opened his eyes and looked curiously towards the door.  
  
"Why did they close it?" he wondered.  
  
Soon, hushed whispers drifted out through the crack, and Harry caught a few words of what they were saying.  
  
"...had not expected this..."  
  
"...Corrosivo Curse...very rare..."  
  
"...You-Know-Who...learned...?"  
  
"...poor boy..."  
  
"...notify Albus at once..."  
  
Harry saw Ron and Hermione exchange worried looks and then look at him. They must have heard the broken conversation too.  
  
The door opened again. Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey, with the promised pajamas in her arms, came out.  
  
"Well, I'll be going," said McGonagall, her voice changing back to her usual strict tone. "Potter, recover soon. Weasley and Granger, I will be expecting you to bring him his homework. Do not attempt to complete them for him, Miss Granger, and do not try to persuade her to, Mr. Weasley. Potter has O.W.L.'s this year, and I want him to pass the test without your help."  
  
With that, McGonagall walked briskly out of the infirmary, probably to tell Dumbledore about Harry's injuries. Before the door closed shut, Harry heard loud chatter in the halls. Lunch was probably over and students were going to their common rooms or outside to enjoy the last bit of warm sunshine before the bitterness of winter hit. Harry sighed. He wanted to be one of them - carefree, innocent, not lying in the infirmary bed with serious injuries at least once a year. He wondered how soon it would be before they found out he had landed himself in here again, and what they would think.  
  
"Here you are, dear," said Madame Pomfrey as she laid the pajamas on his bed. With a wave of her wand, hangings appeared around the bed. "Mr. Weasley can help you change. Is your arm better?"  
  
Harry nodded. Madame Pomfrey really could work wonders. His arm no longer had a burning sensation and didn't hurt very much either.  
  
"Good. I'll bring the three of you some lunch. You must be starved."  
  
"Thank you," the three of them echoed as Madame Pomfrey bustled out of the infirmary.  
  
Ron helped Harry get out of his bloodstained robes and into the fresh- smelling pajamas. When Harry was dressed again, Ron pulled the hangings back up to a patiently waiting Hermione.  
  
"Does you arm still hurt?" asked Hermione. She wasn't crying anymore, bur tears still lingered in her eyes.  
  
"No, it's much better now," answered Harry.  
  
"Do you need anything?" she asked.  
  
Harry shook his head.  
  
"Harry," said Ron nervously, "What happened in the forest?"  
  
Harry told them about following the cloaked figure. He also told them about the person's ability to walk as if floating through the air at the speed of lightning.  
  
"He can Sprihnte?" asked Hermione in amazement.  
  
"Yeah, that."  
  
"Didn't McGonagall tell us about that once?" said Ron. "It's supposed to be a really advanced form of Transfiguration. But... Then, the person in the forest really can't be a Slytherin. Plus the Corrosivo Curse... What happened after you saw him Spinte, or whatever?"  
  
"Well," said Harry. "I asked him who he was, but he wouldn't answer at first. He just laughed, a really cold, chilling laugh. Then, he said, 'You don't want to know.' The next thing I knew, he had attacked me."  
  
"So...was it You-Know-Who?" asked Ron.  
  
"Voldemort, Ron," said Harry while Ron cringed at the name. "Call him by his real name.  
  
"If it was You-Know-, I mean, Voldemort..." said Hermione, whom the name came easier to because she had grown up with Muggle parents and without knowing the terror of the Dark Lord. "But how did he get into the Forbidden Forest unnoticed? Like Sirius said in the letter, he, or a Death Eater, shouldn't be able to."  
  
Harry frowned. He'd just remembered something. "I don't think it was Voldemort -" Ron winced again "- because my scar didn't hurt when I was near the cloaked figure," he said. Harry frowned again. He felt strange saying this, because he thought he had said this before when something had happened, but he couldn't remember when or exactly what had happened.  
  
"But there's Sna -" started Ron when the door to the infirmary suddenly opened.  
  
"I have your lunches!" said Madame Pomfrey as she came in. She handed each of them a tray ladled with food. "If you need me, I'll be in my office. And Harry, I'll come check on your arm in an hour."  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded. Madame Pomfrey disappeared into her office, closing the door behind her.  
  
After making sure she couldn't hear them, they resumed their conversation in lowered voices.  
  
"Like I was saying," said Ron in a near whisper between bites of his chicken. "It could have been...(gulp)...Snape again."  
  
Hermione shook her head.  
  
"Didn't you think he was being controlled by the Imperius Curse just last week?" asked Ron defensively.  
  
"I did, after reading Sirius' letter," explained Hermione. "Then, I went to Professor Fitz to ask her if she could tell me more about the Imperius Curse. I told her it was for a History of Magic report on evil curses invented since the beginning of magic."  
  
"You lied to a teacher?" said Ron incredulously, spitting mashed potatoes everywhere. He knew perfectly well that she had lied to teachers, and even stole from them (for a good cause, I assure you), before, but he couldn't resist a chance to play around with her Miss Perfect title. "And I thought you didn't like her."  
  
Hermione ignored him and continued, "Professor Fitz told me a lot of things, including that the effects of the curse will only last for a little over an hour. And all through double Potions, Professor Snape acts the same, strange way. So...maybe he has some other problems on his mind."  
  
"That makes sense..." said Harry.  
  
"Then who attempted to kill Harry twice since school started?" asked Ron while pouring dressing on his salad.  
  
Hermione frowned and took a bite of her chicken.  
  
"There's something strange about the Corrosivo Curse," said Harry, thinking of the other part of the puzzle. "I mean Voldemort has never used it before. If he just learned how to perform it, then who did he learn it from? The whole world knows of his reputation. Who would teach him? The incantation wouldn't be in any books, would it? If it were, then it wouldn't be rare. Unless...the person in the forest was a Death Eater who knew the curse. But then, a Death Eater would surely share any of his powers with his master, and Voldemort -" Ron shuddered again "- has never used the curse before."  
  
"You're right," said Hermione, nodding her head. "I have to go to the library some time and find out more about this curse."  
  
"I still think Sirius is right about Snape," said Ron stubbornly.  
  
"But Dumbledore would know something if there's something wrong with Snape," said Hermione. "But I do agree with Sirius on one thing. You have to be more careful, Harry. What happened today...what if it happens again and things don't go as well?"  
  
Harry looked down at his food. He had pushed all thoughts about the fact that his life was in great danger to the back of his mind since the carriage incident. He wanted his time at Hogwarts to be normal for once.  
  
"If you're hinting that I need a bodyguard," said Harry, "then forget it."  
  
"I don't think that's a very bad idea," said Hermione.  
  
"Oh, come on, Hermione!" said Ron. "How would you feel having somebody following you all day?"  
  
"It would feel awkward for me to walk around school with someone tailing me," said Harry. "It's stupid."  
  
Hermione sighed. "Fine," she said resignedly. "Then at least bring your wand wherever you go. And don't go anywhere by yourself."  
  
"Even to the bathroom?" asked Harry jokingly.  
  
"Harry!" said Hermione.  
  
"Okay! Okay!" said Harry. "I won't go anywhere alone and I'll bring my wand wherever I go. Oh, Ron, by the way, why did you decide not to try out for Keeper? Weren't you begging me to get you on the team the other day?"  
  
Ron's face turned crimson. He averted his eyes from Harry's and mumbled something that sounded like, "Noreallyinrested."  
  
Harry, seeing that Ron wasn't very comfortable in answering, felt embarrassed about asking. Thank goodness, Madame Pomfrey came out of her office at that moment.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Potter. I'm going to change your bandages now," she said. "And Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, you will have to leave for today. My patient needs his rest. You may come back tomorrow for another hour or so."  
  
"Okay," Ron and Hermione agreed.  
  
They waited until after Harry had gotten through another surge of pain after taking the blue potion. Then, they said goodbye and left the room. As the door closed behind them, Harry suddenly felt a wave of loneliness. He had stayed in the infirmary alone before, but this time it seemed different. This one was at the top of the pile, and the feelings he had from the other stays all gushed up to this one. Harry felt all the anger, frustration, and loneliness from the other stays all at once, at that moment.  
  
For the rest of the afternoon, Harry muddled away the time with thoughts of how much fun the others must be having. Gryffindor Tower must be crowded with people taking a look at one of Fred and George's new inventions. Or maybe they were all outside, enjoying the last of the sunshine. But he, Harry, was alone in the infirmary. Harry stared at the walls, the curtains, the beds, the bed sheets, but there was nothing to take his mind off his lonesomeness.  
  
At ten, after having eaten dinner and endured several more painful bandage changes, Harry was left completely by himself. Madame Pomfrey had retired to her room next door. Harry felt even worse than in the afternoon when Madame Pomfrey said goodnight and closed the door behind her. He realized he hated being in the infirmary alone while his friends were in their dorms. Ron was probably still awake, joking with Dean, Seamus, and Neville. Or maybe he and Hermione hadn't gone to bed yet. Harry felt himself even missing losing to Ron in wizard chess.  
  
'You're being silly!' he told himself angrily. 'Your friends were with you several hours ago! They only left because they weren't allowed to stay! Why are you thinking so much?'  
  
Harry calmed down some after scolding himself. But then, new thoughts popped into his mind. Why was he always the one who got injured anyway? Why did he always end up getting himself in stupid adventures, in which he always got hurt? Why is he always the so-called "hero"? And what kind of hero was he anyway? Cho probably doesn't think he is, and neither does Cedric. Cedric's face floated into his mind. 'It's all your damn fault, you bastard!' his image shouted. 'Why did you make me get the Triwizard Cup with you? You tricked me!' 'No!' Harry tried to shout. 'You liar!' Cedric's voice echoed in the darkness. Suddenly, Harry felt himself falling, falling through the darkness with bitter wind whipping at his face. He landed on a cold hard ground. Harry looked around. He was in that graveyard again, the same graveyard in which Voldemort had murdered Cedric Diggory. Everything was pitch black. Harry felt as if he was drowning in a dark pool. He looked around. Tall, gray, ominous stones loomed over him on all sides. He was all by himself. Suddenly, he noticed a pair of large eyes appear in front of him in the darkness, glowing bright red. They were snakelike and menacing, and were narrowed suspiciously as they stared at Harry. A low jeering voice said to him, "I want you dead, Harry Potter."  
  
Harry sat up quickly, and in his haste, he had opened the wound in his arm again. He groaned in pain, but was relieved to see that he was still in his bed in the infirmary. The graveyard was nowhere in sight.  
  
'It was only a nightmare,' he assured himself.  
  
Harry lied back down, but quickly sat up again. Something had clicked in his mind. He had heard that voice, the one in his dream, before. It was the same one he had heard in the forest and once some time before. But why couldn't he remember when? It was the same thing as the scar. He felt it sounded familiar, but couldn't remember when he had heard it. Harry pounded at his head with his left hand in annoyance.  
  
'Does the voice belong to a Death Eater?' he wondered. He knew for sure now that the person in the forest wasn't Voldemort, because Voldemort's voice didn't sound like this, it was more higher pitched. However, having a Death Eater come after him wasn't a comforting thought either.  
  
Harry lay awake for a very long time, but eventually, sleep overtook him. He dreamed again, but this time of Cho, a happy one, cheering for him while he played Quidditch. Her face shone proudly as she clapped delightedly at the Wronski Feint he had just performed. Her lone, black hair billowed in the wind. Harry looked at her with a smile on his face. But, as he looked, her black hair suddenly turned a brilliant red, her dark eyes turned hazel, and her yellow attire of Ravenclaw became the red of Gryffindor. And her face...Ginny?  
  
Harry opened his eyes, startled. 


End file.
